Aer Lingus has unveiled a raft of new short-haul services for the upcoming summer season, strengthening Ireland’s links with key business and leisure destinations. From early May the carrier will launch flights from Dublin to Oslo (Norway), Asturias/Oviedo (Spain), Montpellier and Tours (France), and Inverness (Scotland). Cork Airport will gain direct links to Nice (France) and Santiago de Compostela (Spain), while last year’s seasonal Cork–Prague route becomes year-round. One-way fares start at €63.75.(thesun.ie)
The expansion taps pent-up demand and anticipates the lifting of Dublin Airport’s 32 million-passenger cap later this year. For corporate travel managers the new routes offer fresh non-stop options to Norwegian energy hubs, French life-science clusters and Scottish tech firms, potentially reducing reliance on connecting flights via London. HR teams relocating staff to Galway, Limerick or Cork can now plan weekend commutes through regional airports rather than Dublin.
![Aer Lingus Adds Seven New European Routes From Dublin and Cork, Boosting Summer 2026 Connectivity]()
Aer Lingus said capacity growth is enabled by the delivery of two additional Airbus A321LR aircraft and crew-base flexibility agreed with unions last autumn. Tourism Ireland welcomed the announcement, predicting €45 million in additional inbound spend. Environmental groups, however, criticised the lack of corresponding carbon-offset measures and called for rail alternatives where feasible.
Travel-policy tip: organisations should update preferred-carrier agreements and per-diem budgets; peak-summer lead-in fares on the new Oslo service are currently 25 % below equivalent routings via Copenhagen or Amsterdam, according to GDS data.
The expansion taps pent-up demand and anticipates the lifting of Dublin Airport’s 32 million-passenger cap later this year. For corporate travel managers the new routes offer fresh non-stop options to Norwegian energy hubs, French life-science clusters and Scottish tech firms, potentially reducing reliance on connecting flights via London. HR teams relocating staff to Galway, Limerick or Cork can now plan weekend commutes through regional airports rather than Dublin.
Aer Lingus said capacity growth is enabled by the delivery of two additional Airbus A321LR aircraft and crew-base flexibility agreed with unions last autumn. Tourism Ireland welcomed the announcement, predicting €45 million in additional inbound spend. Environmental groups, however, criticised the lack of corresponding carbon-offset measures and called for rail alternatives where feasible.
Travel-policy tip: organisations should update preferred-carrier agreements and per-diem budgets; peak-summer lead-in fares on the new Oslo service are currently 25 % below equivalent routings via Copenhagen or Amsterdam, according to GDS data.
Source: The Sun Travel
