Ireland’s flagship air carrier Aer Lingus has announced it will launch a new non-stop route between Dublin and Cancún starting next year.
The route will be a seasonal flight, operating three times a week from January 6 to April 29, onboard an Airbus A330-300 wide-body aircraft. The service will primarily serve travelers looking to escape the Irish winter and enjoy the tropical climate of the Mexican Caribbean.
Flights will depart from Dublin on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 1:30 p.m., arriving in Cancún at 6:20 p.m. The return flight from Cancún will depart on the same day at 9:05 p.m., arriving in Dublin at 11:20 a.m. the following day.
“Our research reveals a strong appetite among customers for new travel experiences, particularly seasonal destinations beyond the peak summer period,” the carrier’s CEO Lynne Embleton said in a statement.
Aer Lingus, part of the airline group that includes Iberia, British Airways, Vueling and Level, noted that this new route also facilitates connections for passengers from other European cities and the United Kingdom via its Dublin hub.
Currently, tour operator TUI offers charter flights to Cancún from Dublin. However, Aer Lingus will become the first airline to provide a non-stop flight from Ireland, the company remarked.
Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa celebrated the announcement in a statement.
“Quintana Roo, [and] the Mexican Caribbean, welcome and celebrate the first direct Dublin-Cancún flight from Aer Lingus. We will work together with our partner Aer Lingus to make this a successful operation,” Lezama said.
The Mexican Embassy in Dublin also celebrated Aer Lingus’s new flight, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Ambassador Carolina Zaragoza Flores noted that the move will strengthen Mexico’s position as Ireland’s largest trading partner in Latin America.
“This important development […] will undoubtedly foster even stronger economic ties and lead to a strategic partnership,” Zaragoza said.
Aer Lingus was founded in 1936 under the name Aer Lingus Teoranta, which means “air fleet” in Irish.
With reports from EFE and Aviación Online
