Shannon gets its new French link off to a flyer

SHANNON was thrown an international connectivity lifeline yesterday when a new service opened to Paris, Charles de Gaulle.

CityJet will fly two return flights on weekdays and one at weekends.

Airport management are confident it will help compensate for the loss of the Shannon/Heathrow service that Aer Lingus transferred to Belfast.

Shannon director Martin Moroney said the new service marked the beginning of a bright new era for the airport.

Speaking before he boarded the inaugural 9.39am flight, Mr Moroney said that early indications show that the service will be a major success.

He said: “Needless to say we are delighted to have new partners CityJet on board to restore one-stop connectivity today at Shannon for global connectivity. This is a major coup for our airport, so soon after the loss of the Shannon-Heathrow service, and all the indications are extremely positive for the service.”

The majority of bookings are from business passengers.

Mr Moroney said: “This fits perfectly with the CityJet model. The response from the business community to this service has been extremely positive from the off. We are now looking forward to growing the service and building on our relationship with our new partners CityJet/Air France.”

Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) chairman Pat Shanahan was similarly confident about the prospects for the service.

He said: “The loads are very strong and business in the region is responding really well to the service. From City Jet’s perspective, they are commencing a service with a natural market demand, due to the need for one-stop connectivity, and the SAA is fully committed to doing all it can to make sure the service grows and becomes a real success at Shannon.”

He said they are particularly pleased to have CityJet as partners, as it is not alone a member of the world’s largest airline, Air France/KLM, but is part of the Skyteam global alliance which will guarantee connectivity to every key international market.