News Release (27/05/11)
Bristol Airport has marked the 75th anniversary of Aer Lingus today (27 May) by presenting the Irish airline with a commemorative Bristol blue glass gift.
The very first route operated by ‘the Flying Shamrock’ back in 1936 was from Baldonnel (Dublin) to Bristol, with five passengers on a six-seater De Havilland 84 Dragon named Iolar – meaning ‘eagle’ in Irish.
Seventy five years ago the inaugural Aer Lingus flight flew in to Whitchurch airfield, which was then the home of Bristol’s airport. Today, Aer Lingus Regional serves three Irish destinations from the modern day Bristol Airport site in North Somerset.
Flights are operated by Aer Arann under a franchise agreement between the two airlines. Three flights a day link the South West to Dublin, opening up onward connections to four US cities (New York, Boston, Chicago and Orlando, with the ability to clear US customs and immigration in Dublin and fly on to the US as a domestic passenger. Daily flights also operate to Cork and Shannon.
Robert Sinclair, Chief Executive Officer of Bristol Airport, presented Aer Lingus’ UK Manager, Keith Tenn, with a specially commissioned Bristol blue glass plate at the steps of the ATR72 aircraft which operates the current Bristol-Dublin service, and said:
“Aer Lingus has a rich history in this region, and we wanted to show our appreciation for the contribution the airline has made over the years in making business and leisure travel between Ireland and the South West convenient and affordable to many thousands of people on both sides of the Irish Sea.”