Aer Lingus has announced its largest ever transatlantic summer schedule for 2026 as well as further expansion of its long-haul network with the introduction of a new direct service from Dublin to Raleigh-Durham International Airport, North Carolina, next year.

Transatlantic growth

Aer Lingus has significantly grown its transatlantic network with the addition of ten new routes in the past four years. As well as new routes, Aer Lingus has added additional capacity to many existing routes and for summer 2026, operating its largest transatlantic schedule to date in response to demand and market opportunities.

For summer 2026 Aer Lingus is introducing third daily flights from Dublin to both New York JFK and Boston. The additional flights will have a late evening departure from Dublin and late-night departures from New York and Boston, allowing customers to make the most of their days on both ends of the trip.

Aer Lingus’ popular new routes from Dublin to Nashville and Indianapolis, which launched earlier this year, will both see frequency increased from four weekly flights to five next summer, and Dublin to Orlando will increase to daily flights in peak summer season.ADVERTISEMENTAer Lingus services from Shannon to Boston will also increase by three weekly flights to ten in peak summer.

Next stop, North Carolina

Aer Lingus has also announced further expansion of its long-haul network with the introduction of a direct service from Dublin to Raleigh-Durham International Airport, North Carolina.

Taking off in April 2026, the new route will bring the total number of routes Aer Lingus operate to North America to twenty-six. The continued growth of the airline’s North American network is part of its Dublin Hub strategy, providing a central gateway between North America, Ireland, the UK and Europe.

The service will connect the cities of Raleigh and Durham directly to Ireland for the first time and serve the wider State of North Carolina, with its population of over 11 million, with greater links to Ireland. The year-round route will operate up to five times weekly on Aer Lingus’ new Airbus A321 XLR aircraft. Ireland and North Carolina share deep economic, financial and educational connections as well as shared heritage, with significant foundations in early Scots-Irish migration.

The new service will also be underway in time to serve fans from the University of North Carolina (UNC) travelling to the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, next August. UNC will take on Texas Christian University (TCU) in the opening weekend of the NCAA college football season in what will be the international debut for both teams.

In 2025, the Aer Lingus College Football Classic attracted almost 23,000 visitors from the U.S. to Ireland.

Commenting at the launch of the new route, Michael Landguth, President and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority, said: “Dublin is a high-demand international destination for travelers from the Research Triangle region, and we are proud that Aer Lingus has chosen RDU for this nonstop service. The Aer Lingus flight will provide a quick and convenient journey to Ireland and beyond for tourism, business and educational opportunities.”

Lynne Embleton, CEO, Aer Lingus, added: “We’re delighted to be adding Raleigh-Durham International Airport to our growing North American network. It’s a vibrant and thriving region with well-established links to Ireland, that will be further strengthened with our new direct service.

“In addition to new this new route, our 2026 plans reflect another year of growth with increased frequency on our established network, and more choice for our customers. We’ll be serving 26 destinations across North America in 2026, reinforcing Aer Lingus as a popular choice for North Atlantic travel. We’re planning more frequency to popular new destinations Nashville and Indianapolis which launched earlier this year, as well as strengthening our schedule to cities already well established on our network, such as New York, Boston and Orlando.”

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Source: breakingtravelnews.com