by Bernie English [email protected]
SHANNON Airport has announced another boost for local tourism with a new summer service from Austria next year.
Leading tour company Prima Reisen is to operate seven charter flights out of Vienna from July until early September with hopes of an increase in services over following years.
Promotion of the service has already begun, with tour operators and media from Austria visiting the region this month supported by Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland to experience some of the range of visitor attractions on offer.
Welcoming the new service Fiona Monaghan of Failte Ireland said it was a great boost for tourism operators in the Shannon region and along the Wild Atlantic Way.
“Shannon Airport is a key hub for access into the west and south and the additional traffic from Austria next summer will guarantee extra visitors all along the Wild Atlantic Way. That will eventually translate into additional revenue and jobs for rural communities all along the route”, she explained.
There was also a significant boost for Shannon’s transatlantic services this week with one of its US carriers announcing an increase in capacity next summer when it will use a larger aircraft for its seasonal service.
Delta Air Lines will operate the larger Boeing 767-300 aircraft on the service, resulting in a 25 per cent increase in capacity. The additional 17,000 seats have been provided as a result of increased demand in transatlantic flights to the West of Ireland.
Shannon Group chief executive Neil Pakey described it as a real breakthrough for the region.
