Ohio Bound: Aer Lingus to launch flights to Cleveland

Cleveland is getting its only transatlantic service in the coming summer season. Aer Lingus will commence nonstop flight between Dublin and Cleveland in May 2023.

Aer Lingus to Cleveland

Starting 19th May 2023, Aer Lingus will operate 4-flights-a-week between Dublin Airport and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport with the following schedule:

• Dublin-Cleveland
• Departure time: 15:30
• Arrival time: 18:50
• Flight time: 8 hours and 20 minutes
• Flight number: EI87
• Frequency: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays

• Cleveland-Dublin
• Departure time: 20:20
• Arrival time: 08:50 (the next day)
• Flight time: 7 hours and 30 minutes
• Flight number: EI86
• Frequency: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays

Flights will be operated by Airbus A321LR (long Range) aircraft featuring 16 lie-flat Business Class seats and 168 standard Economy Class seats.

This is a significant announcement for Aer Lingus as we deliver on our ambition to grow our transatlantic network. The commencement of a new route, accompanied with further network connectivity, is an exciting milestone for the airline during a critical time of recovery for our business. The new service to Cleveland not only provides a direct connection to Ireland but connections to over 20 popular European destinations via our Dublin Hub.

said Reid Moody, Chief Strategy & Planning Officer, Aer Lingus.

Dublin-Cleveland will be Aer Lingus’s 15th transatlantic route from Ireland and will be the only direct European service from Cleveland next summer. In addition to this, Aer Lingus will operate 3 transatlantic flights from Manchester in summer 2023. The airline says that “ rebuilding connectivity and growing its transatlantic network is critical to Aer Lingus’ long-term growth strategy as it continues its recovery following the pandemic”.

Passengers travelling from Cleveland on Aer Lingus will be able to connect to over 20 key European cities – London, Paris, Manchester, Dusseldorf, Brussels, Lyon, Amsterdam and Edinburgh, among others, via Dublin.

Aer Lingus is an award-winning airline that continues to grow with new destinations across the globe. We are truly excited for the opportunity to have nonstop service for travellers to connect to Ireland and the many other European destinations. Our team has worked for years to bring this route to Cleveland for our community.

said Dennis Kremer, Interim Airport Director, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

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Cleveland is the largest city on Lake Erie and one of the major cities of the Great Lakes region. Cleveland is known for its picturesque parklands, vibrant art and culture scene, musical history, and is often called the birthplace of rock and roll. Some of the city’s most popular attractions include the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Cleveland Orchestra, Playhouse Square, and the infamous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Great for Cleveland!

The arrival of a new, and that too the “only”, transatlantic service is great for Cleveland. Approximately, 9% of the population in Cleveland is of Irish ancestry, so that could be a factor which can help with running this route. Although it can be a factor, the route will probably not sustain just on this factor.

You may ask that why is Aer Lingus testing a whole new route when it has not yet restarted its pre-pandemic routes to Minneapolis, Montreal and Hartford? The main reason for that is that Aer Lingus is receiving subsidies to run this route.

Aer Lingus will be getting a $600,000 UDAG grant over a three year period for maintaining this service. Additionally, Jobs Ohio will assist with additional funding and 2.4$ million in funding will be given by the City, County, GCP, Team NEO, and Destination Cleveland.

Now, Aer Lingus has a time of three years to build the market. It remains to be seen whether this route will remain operational once these incentives are over as subsidised services usually last as long as the subsidy period is active.

Leaving these all things aside, finally receiving a transatlantic service after five years (WOW Air and IcelandAir used to operate service to Reykjavik until 2018) is a great achievement for Cleveland and for Ohio.

Featured image by Irish Aviation Research Institute

What do you think of Aer Lingus launching flights to Cleveland? Let us know in comments section below.

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