Aer Lingus will launch services to San Francisco and Toronto from April next year, it has been announced.
The Irish carrier will deploy an Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft on its Dublin to San Francisco route, which will operate five times per week.
The Dublin to Toronto route will fly daily during the summer season and four times weekly during the winter. It will be serviced by a Boeing B757.
Aer Lingus is also increasing the frequency of its services from Shannon to New York and Boston, bringing the airline's long-haul schedule to ten daily transatlantic services.
CEO Christoph Mueller said: "Our transatlantic capacity will increase by 24 per cent in 2014, following on from the 13 per cent additional capacity in our 2013 transatlantic schedule.
"Our operation of the San Francisco route will strengthen Ireland's ties with Silicon Valley and encourage Ireland's development as a technology hub for Europe. Toronto is home to a large Irish community and we look forward to welcoming them on board.
"We are confident that the increased number of flights from Shannon to New York and Boston will bring additional tourists to the Western region. The increased frequency opens up additional connectivity to almost 40 cities in North America with our airline partners."
To support the operation of the new routes, Aer Lingus will wet lease three B757 aircraft from ASL Aviation Group. The aircraft will be configured with an economy and business class cabin.
Business travellers will "continue to enjoy the same great level of service - with gourmet meals, sleeper seats and an extensive in-flight entertainment selection", the airline added.
In May, we reported how the Competition Commission said Ryanair may be forced to reduce its 29.8 per cent stake in Aer Lingus (see online news, May 30).
Graham Smith
