Continental Airlines, the fifth largest carrier in the United States, is to begin flights to Ireland next year, the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, said yesterday. A formal announcement from the airline is expected early next week.
The new service from Newark, New Jersey, will see daily flights to Dublin and Shannon.
The move forms part of a rapid expansion by Continental of its international routes. On Monday, the airline announced a new code-sharing agreement with Mr Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways.
In August, the company said its revenue passenger miles (RPM) for international flights was up by around 25 per cent on the previous year.
The airline operates from major hubs in Newark, Houston and Cleveland, and offers more than 2,100 departures a day to 131 US and 65 international destinations.
With profits last year of $550 million (£375 million), the firm is seen in the United States as a corporate turnaround success story. Three years ago, Continental's share price stood at around $3.50 - this week it was at $45.
