Cityjet to start Shannon-Paris route

Cityjet is to start a service from Shannon airport to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris from February 4th.

Shannon Airport Authority had been discussing the move with Cityjet, which is a subsidiary of Air France, for some time. Air France uses Charles de Gaulle as a hub offers passengers travelling from Shannon connections to a wide range of long-haul flights.

The new Shannon-to-Charles de Gaulle route will initially have two flights each weekday and one during weekends.

The Cityjet link will partly alleviate the loss of the Shannon-Heathrow operated by Aer Lingus. That will end in the middle of January, with its Heathrow slots being moved to Belfast.

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said he believed the new route would exceed the demands of the midwest business community, which was angered at the loss of the Heathrow route.

"Over the past few months the business community in the midwest has sought to have a new service in place that will provide them and their customers with connectivity to and from key destinations throughout the world.

"I believe that Cityjet and Air France are not only meeting that requirement but exceeding it by giving them a business-quality service and access to over 800 destinations throughout the world," the Minister said.

The move was also welcomed by the Mayor of Clare, Cllr Patricia McCarthy, who said the route ensured Shannon and the region of "excellent connectivity throughout the world".

Mr Kevin Thompstone, CEO of Shannon Development, said Paris Charles De Gaulle airport had direct connections to over 200 important international destinations, and that the move was "great news" for Shannon and the west coast.