A new Shannon to Paris air route begins with the launch of a direct service to Paris Orly Airport operated by the low-cost Spanish airline Vueling, a member of the International Airlines Group (IAG) which also owns Aer Lingus.
The service will operate twice weekly Monday to Friday, with the first flight departing just after 3pm to Orly, the second biggest airport in France.
It brings to 27 the number of services to Europe and the US operating out of Shannon Airport.
Vueling is the largest carrier in Spain with hubs in Barcelona, Paris Orly and Fiumicino in Rome.
It operates over 100 services to 31 countries, including many European cities and Middle Eastern countries.
Launching the new service, Minister of State for Transport Hildegarde Naughton TD said: "The new Paris to Orly connection not only provides significant opportunities for the people within the region, but also for inbound traffic from Paris, further boosting tourism connections between the Mid West of Ireland and Paris".
The Shannon Airport Group CEO Mary Considine said: "This is an exciting day for our passengers heading to the beautiful city of Paris and a great day for our team who work hard to grow connectivity options for our passengers from Shannon.
"Paris is a wonderful city break destination for outbound holiday makers and opens the way for French tourists to explore the Wild Atlantic Way via Shannon Airport."
Charlotte Dumesnil, Sales Director of Vueling said: "We are delighted to expand our Irish operations with our first route from Shannon to Paris Orly, building on our existing Irish connections whilst also offering inbound passengers ease of access to the West Coast of Ireland.
"This new direct route reinforces Vueling's interest in providing a more flexible and varied proposition for travellers based in Ireland."
