Aer Lingus launches biggest ever Shannon Airport transatlantic schedule for summer 2026

AER LINGUS has announced its largest ever transatlantic summer schedule for 2026, increasing flights from Shannon Airport to Boston from three a week to a total of ten in peak season. 

The airline will operate three additional flights per week from mid-May to August 20, significantly boosting transatlantic connectivity from the West of Ireland. This brings the number of seats available to North America from Shannon Airport for Summer '26 to over 350,000, the highest number of seats since 2018.

The additional services will depart Shannon at 11am and arrive in Boston at 1pm, allowing customers to make the most of their day upon arrival. Aer Lingus also operates flights from Shannon to New York JFK, London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle, providing customers with a ride range of options for the summer season.

This expansion reflects growing demand for travel between the Mid-West region and the United States. It underscores Shannon Airport’s strategic importance as a transatlantic gateway.

Welcoming the announcement, Ray O’Driscoll, Interim CEO of The Shannon Airport Group said: “We are delighted with Aer Lingus’ decision to increase its Boston service from Shannon next summer. This move is a strong vote of confidence in the region and in Shannon Airport’s role in supporting tourism, business, and diaspora travel. The additional flights will offer even greater flexibility and convenience for passengers, and we look forward to welcoming more visitors through our doors.

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“This year Shannon passengers have had a choice of five, daily U.S. flights across the summer season including year-round services offered by Aer Lingus to Boston and New York-JFK, United Airlines to New York-Newark and Chicago, and Delta to New York-JFK. The planned expansion of the Aer Lingus Boston service for next year will see total transatlantic services from Shannon Airport increase to over 350,000 seats over Summer ’26, the most seats that Shannon Airport has had to North America since 2018," he concluded. 

Aer Lingus currently operates daily direct services from Shannon to Boston and New York JFK, offering seamless access to the United States with U.S. preclearance facilities available at the airport. These services are part of Shannon’s broader transatlantic offering, which includes a growing network of routes and a reputation for ease of travel, short queue times and award-winning customer service.

The airline has also announced further expansion of its long-haul network with the introduction of a new direct service from Dublin Airport to Raleigh-Durham International Airport, North Carolina.

Taking off in April 2026, the new route will bring the total number of routes Aer Lingus operate to North America to twenty-six. The continued growth of the airline’s North American network is part of its Dublin Hub strategy, providing a central gateway between North America, Ireland, the UK and Europe.

The service will connect the cities of Raleigh and Durham directly to Ireland for the first time and serve the wider State of North Carolina, which has a population of over 11 million, with greater links to Ireland. The year-round route will operate up to five times weekly on Aer Lingus’ new Airbus A321 XLR aircraft. 

Commenting on the extended services from Shannon Airport, Donal Moriarty, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Aer Lingus, said: “We are delighted with the growth of our transatlantic network including the increased capacity on our Shannon-Boston route next summer. We’re looking forward to connecting more of our customers to the East Coast of the U.S. next summer, as well as bringing more visitors from the U.S. to the Shannon region.”