NEW AER LINGUS ROUTE ATHENS - DUBLIN - The first scheduled direct route between Greece and Ireland JUNE 5th 2007

Tourism Ireland together with the Embassy of Ireland and Aer Lingus is delighted to welcome the inauguration of the new Aer Lingus route Athens – Dublin, the Irish national carrier’s first ever scheduled direct route between Ireland and Greece, which will enable the people of Greece to discover the special experience which a holiday on the island of Ireland can offer.

H.E. Margaret Hennessy, Ambassador of Ireland to Greece recalled that Greek Nobel Laureate George Seferis said “the Irish are the Greeks of the North.” She said: “like the Greeks, the Irish are famous for hospitality. We look forward to extending céad míle fáilte (a hundred thousand welcomes) to many visitors from Greece.”

Commenting on the new service Aer Lingus Commercial Director, Enda Corneille said, “This new service from Athens to Dublin is a milestone development for Aer Lingus as it is the first direct scheduled service between Greece and Ireland, and marks the continued development of Aer Lingus with a focus on growing our route network. Moreover it reaffirms Aer Lingus’ commitment to providing direct, low fares access to new markets.”

Ms. Niamh Kinsella, Tourism Ireland Marketing Manager for Greece said : “we are exited that Aer Lingus is introducing this new direct route. We know that many people in Greece have a strong interest in Ireland and that the Greek travel market has potential for both leisure and incentive visits to the island of Ireland, a destination which offers a unique combination of stunning scenery with warm and open people. Ireland is both modern and vibrant while retaining its own rich culture and traditions.”

Dublin, less than four hours flying time from Athens, is a city whose history stretches back over 1,000 years. At the same time it is also young and vibrant. Dublin is an ideal city break destination. Its city centre is compact which makes it easy for visitors to explore its rich cultural heritage of museums, art galleries and theatres. Visitors can also enjoy the traditional pubs, restaurants of every kind and many interesting shops and boutiques. Dublin has a unique literary heritage too, as the city of James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Jonathan Swift and Oscar Wilde.

Dublin is also the perfect starting point from which to explore the entire island of Ireland and discover the beautiful scenery for which Ireland is world famous. There are many organised day trips from Dublin to nearby areas such as Wicklow, renowned for its beautiful gardens and heritage sites such as the 6th century monastery at Glendalough.

With a little more time, visitors can easily travel throughout the country discovering the pretty colourful villages of the South, the dramatic and rugged scenery of the Atlantic coastline in the West and the unique heritage of Northern Ireland, home to the historic Bushmills whiskey distillery and the city of Belfast (Ireland’s most fashionable shopping destination). The interior of Ireland has rolling green pastures, dotted with medieval castles, Celtic monuments and historic gardens. Here you can also find many superb hotels with spa facilities and golf courses. Throughout the country, the visitor will find a wide selection of accommodation offering genuine Irish hospitality, which ranges from 5 star luxury hotels to traditional Bed & Breakfast homes.

While the Irish are proud of their beautiful scenery and rich culture, the thing which makes a holiday in Ireland truly memorable is the friendliness of the people. The Irish are warm and welcoming and have a distinctive charm and sense of humour. Visitors will quickly feel at home no matter where they have come from.

Further Information:

From 5th June Aer Lingus will operate three flights a week from Dublin to Athens, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Aer Lingus Flight EI 443 departs Athens at 2110, arriving Dublin 2335.

Fares start from €55 euro one-way (excluding taxes and charges).

The cheapest fares are available on the Aer Lingus website: www.aerlingus.com

For information on planning a visit to Ireland, please visit Tourism Ireland’s official website www.discoverireland.com (Greek language pages coming shortly).

The Irish Embassy in Athens also carries a stock of Tourism Ireland’s Greek language official guide to Ireland, along with a selection of accommodation guides and other tourist brochures.

Embassy of Ireland,
Leof. Vas Konstantinou 7
106 74 Athens

For travel trade enquiries, please contact Tourism Ireland’s office in Italy: [email protected]

Editors please note: photos of Ireland are available to download freely from Tourism Ireland’s image library www.tourismirelandimagery.com