Aer Lingus will launch summer routes from Shannon to Paris and Barcelona next year.
Paris flights begin on March 29, 2020 and will be operated by an A320 aircraft on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
The Barcelona route launches May 2, 2020 and will run on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, also on an A320.
It takes the Irish flag carrier up to nine summer routes from Shannon. It also runs a winter-only route to Lanzarote.
Aer Lingus said the expansion underlined its commitment to the west Ireland airport, which it sees as offering useful connections from cities like Paris and Barcelona on to New York and Boston.
The airline has a partnership with US Customs and Border Protection that allows passengers to clear immigration, customs and agriculture controls in Ireland.
It also codeshares with US airline Jetblue, and says that 17 per cent of guests flying to Boston so far this year from Shannon have travelled on to other North American destinations.
The Irish Independent reports that the Shannon has lost over 120,000 seats this year as a result of the loss of Boeing 737 Max flights from Norwegian and Air Canada.
Meanwhile Ryanair will discontinue Shannon services to Bristol, East Midlands and Ibiza from January 2020.
However Austrian low-cost airline Lauda, which was acquired by Ryanair earlier this year, will launch flights from Shannon to Vienna next year.
“The launch of these two new routes and the investment in two new A321LR aircraft at Shannon is evidence of the strong partnership we have with Aer Lingus,” commented Mary Considine, Shannon Group CEO.
“This development is a major advancement in our promise to connect our airport and the West of Ireland to a growing number of global destinations, helping us to make this region a thriving, connected place.
“We are excited about working with Aer Lingus and our stakeholders, to ensure these services are a success for the region, recognising the key role they can play in supporting FDI, tourism and our indigenous enterprise sector.”
Aer Lingus also flies three times daily to Heathrow from Shannon.
