AER LINGUS PLANS YYZ-DUBLIN FLIGHTS

Irish eyes are definitely smiling these days with the announcement that Aer Lingus is plannng to laund a new, direct service between Toronto and Dublin beginning in April 2014. Tourism Ireland welcomed the news that confirmed a daily direct Boeing B757 service between Toronto and Dublin will operate during the summer season, with up to four weekly services operating during the winter months. Bookings are available now on the airline’s web site — http://www.aerlingus.com . The announcement provides a continued boost for both leisure and business tourism from Canada to the island of Ireland as recent figures estimate an increase of 4% in 2012 with close to 120,000 Canadians visiting the Island of Ireland. Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said that the announcement “is wonderful news for tourism to the island of Ireland. We already work very closely with Aer Lingus and we look forward to co-operating with them to maximize the promotion of these new routes. As an island, the importance of convenient, direct, non-stop flights cannot be overstated — they are absolutely critical to achieving growth in inbound tourism. Tourism Ireland is committed to working with Aer Lingus, Dublin and Shannon Airports and other tourism interests, through co-operative marketing, to drive demand for these new services — as we work with other carriers and partners to promote and help maintain vital routes and services to the island.” Christoph Mueller, chief executive for Aer Lingus, said: “Toronto is the sixth biggest North American market out of Ireland. In addition to being a great tourist destination, the city is home to a large Irish community and we look forward to welcoming them on board.” Go to http://www.ireland.com for more.