Aer Lingus announced new direct service to Denver and the relaunch of its Minneapolis-St. Paul route, both departing from Dublin as part of the carrier’s summer 2024 schedule.

The new additions will bring the total number of Aer Lingus routes operated between Ireland and North America to 18. This expansion, according to the announcement, reflects the airline’s commitment to its Dublin hub strategy, using the Irish capital as the connecting point between North America and destinations in Europe.

Flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul start on April 29, 2024, increasing from four times weekly to a daily year-round service next October. Dublin-Denver flights, which will also operate four times a week, will begin May 17, 2024.

Passengers departing from these cities can also enjoy the convenience of onward connections to 20 European cities via Dublin.

Lynne Embleton, CEO, said that with Dublin’s geographic position as the gateway to Europe, pre-clearance facilities at the airport and long-established Irish American ties, “Aer Lingus is ideally placed to connect people and places across the Atlantic.”

Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul are significant business destinations within the US, said Embleton, and the new routes facilitate corporate links and connectivity between Europe and North America through the Dublin hub.

The new direct route to Denver, said the announcement, will facilitate increased business collaboration between Ireland and Colorado’s industries. Colorado-based companies, including Level 3 Communications, Otter Products, Webroot, Graebel, Emergenetics and Paragon 28, have already established their European headquarters in Ireland.

The reintroduction of the Minneapolis-St. Paul route, said the announcement, amplifies Ireland’s engagement with the business landscape of the Twin Cities. Companies including 3M, Smiths Medical and Medtronic are headquartered in Minnesota and have Irish bases.

Image: Aer Lingus A320neo V/Courtesy of Aer Lingus