Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus is looking to add Cleveland, Ohio, to its transatlantic route map, cleveland.com reported Thursday.
The carrier is reportedly considering four weekly nonstop flights between Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) and Dublin Airport (DUB) next May. If it happens, the flights will mark the first European service from Cleveland since Icelandic competitors Icelandair and WOW Air terminated flights to Reykjavik in 2018.
Before that, CLE had not had nonstop service to Europe since Continental Airlines ended London (Gatwick) flights in 2009. Continental also offered nonstop flights between Cleveland and Parish in 2008, but that service only lasted a few months. In the 1980s, Yugoslavian carrier Jat Airways flew to Cleveland as a stopover on its DC-10 flight between Belgrade, Slovenia (BEG), and Chicago O’Hare (ORD).
Lured by Financial Incentives
Financial incentives from Cleveland City Council, local businesses, and other economic development groups in northeast Ohio have allegedly provided enough support for Aer Lingus officials to give Cleveland service the green light. According to cleveland.com, the financial incentive will likely be between $2-2.5 million.
It is not uncommon for cities to lure airlines using financial incentives to subsidize – or guarantee – a return on investment for the airline. British Airways (BA) returned to nearby Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) – 125 miles southeast of Hopkins – in 2019 after a nearly 20-year absence. The service was made possible – at least initially – because of subsidies from the Pittsburgh business community.
BA suspended PIT service at the onset of the pandemic in 2020 but returned earlier this year with four weekly flights on a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
Federal law prohibits airports themselves from providing financial incentives to lure carriers.
This is not the first time Aer Lingus has considered Cleveland service. The carrier had been eyeing CLE service in 2019 but ultimately decided against it after lackluster financial support.
North American Service
Aer Lingus currently flies to 12 North American destinations, including 11 in the United States and one in Canada.
- BOS – Boston Logan International Airport
- JFK – New York John F. Kennedy International Airport
- MCO – Orlando International Airport
- SEA – Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
- SFO – San Francisco International Airport
- LAX – Los Angeles International Airport
- ORD – Chicago O’Hare International Airport
- IAD – Washington Dulles International Airport
- PHL – Philadelphia International Airport
- EWR – Newark Liberty International Airport
- MIA – Miami International Airport
- YYZ – Toronto Pearson International Airport (Canada)
Flights to North America originate from Dublin (DUB), Shannon (SNN), or Manchester, UK (MAN).
There is no word on what equipment Aer Lingus could deploy on the DUB-CLE route. However, it’s difficult to imagine that the carrier could justify using anything larger than the Airbus A321neo or the A321LR.
The carrier is planning to formally announce the new Cleveland service sometime next week.