Ireland West Airport has welcomed the news that Aer Lingus will resume operations on its hugely popular London Gatwick service on December 18 in time for the busy Christmas period. The service will return on a phased basis initially ahead of a planned full resumption of services in March 2021.
This comes as welcome news for the west and north west of Ireland following a suspension of the service for over 18 months as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Gatwick service has been an ever present service at the airport since its commencement in 2009 and is a hugely important one from both a business, diaspora and tourism perspective, providing critically important connectivity not just with the London market but as a gateway from the west of Ireland to Europe, with London Gatwick offering a wide range of international connections.
Joe Gilmore, managing director, Ireland West Airport said: “We are delighted to welcome the news of the resumption of the London Gatwick service in December. The last 18 months have been an extremely difficult period for the airport and the whole aviation sector and today’s announcement by Aer Lingus is a major vote of confidence, not just in the airport, but in the north west and west regions.
"I’d like to express our sincere thanks to the team at Aer Lingus, whom we have worked closely with throughout the last 18 months, for their ongoing support and commitment to the airport as we look to rebuild our route network. I know this announcement will be welcome news to the loyal customer base that Aer Lingus has built up over the last 12 years, particularly in advance of the busy Christmas period and it will be great to welcome the famous Aer Lingus livery back to the west'.
Susanne Carberry, chief customer officer, at Aer Lingus, said: “We are delighted to announce a significant restart to a number of our favourite routes in North America and Europe, and reconnecting friends, families and businesses once again. We are also excited to be able to connect our customers from Ireland West Airport Knock into London Gatwick for Christmas. Safety remains our priority at Aer Lingus and we continue to implement measures such as mask requirements and additional cleaning, as has been in practice across the airline for the past year. We are also committed to making the flight experience as comfortable as possible and customers can enjoy our in-flight food, drink and entertainment services on board.”
Before travelling, Aer Lingus customers are advised to use the airline’s new online travel support tool to search by destination and retrieve up-to-date tailored travel information based on their specific circumstances including vaccination status, return travel and flight connection requirements. Should plans change, customers can also avail of the ‘Book with Confidence’ flexible booking proposition until December 31, 2021.
Over the Christmas period, from December 18 the London Gatwick service will operate daily. Fares start from €32.99 each way, including airline taxes and charges.
