CityJet to use larger plane for Shannon to Paris route

CityJet is to expand its Shannon to Paris service by basing a 95-seat aircraft at the airport and starting its twice-daily service earlier in the morning.

The airline said it would replace the existing 50-seater leased aircraft with a larger plane from early May. It has also reorganised the slots at Charles De Gaulle so the first flight will depart Shannon at 6.30am arriving at 9.30am (local time) allowing passengers from the mid-west access to a far wider range of onward international flights.

The Air France subsidiary Cityjet introduced the service to help fill the gap left by Aer Lingus's controversial withdrawal from the Heathrow route.

While Cityjet is confident the demand for the service is there, particularly with the revised schedule, the route will be reviewed if the expected level of passengers does not materialise.

Geoffrey O'Byrne White, CityJet chief executive said: "The businesses in the region and individual passengers have told us that this route, and the worldwide connectivity it has brought, has been very important for them in terms of quality of service.

"However we are relying on the continued support of businesses and leisure passengers in the Mid West and in the current tough economic environment, that support will be vital if the route is to continue".