INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is getting a direct fight to Europe once again.
On Monday, the Indianapolis International Airport announced non-stop service to Dublin, Ireland, on Aer Lingus.
"I always hated flying out of East Coast airports. You never knew what you would get, if we could pass over all that that would be amazing," said Sam Dora, traveling through the Indianapolis International Airport.
The new non-stop transatlantic flight is a key part of Gov. Holcomb’s Next Level Agenda in providing a critical link connecting Indiana businesses with global markets.
In 2018, the airport launched its first-ever international flight to Paris, but COVID shut down the air service and the Paris flight never took off again.
Mario Rodriguez, the executive director of the Indianapolis Airport Authority, says there's a need to open up the pathway again.
Indiana is home to 52 Ireland-based businesses. In 2023, Indiana exported more than $756 million worth of goods to Ireland while importing close to $21 billion in goods.
On top of that, Eli Lilly recently invested $1.8 million into two new facilities in Ireland.
"Don't take the flight as just a fight. It's a reflection of the economics of the state, the economics of the city, the desires of people to fly to Europe," said Rodriguez.
The Aer Lingus non-stop flight will connect Indiana and Europe year-round with service scheduled four times per week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, with a short break between January and February.
Operating on a state-of-the-art Airbus A321XLR, the Aer Lingus non-stop flight will offer dual-class seats, including 16 business class seats.
In a release from the Indianapolis International Airport, they say air service analysis shows an average of 545 people travel from the Indianapolis area to European destinations daily. By attracting Indiana’s new year-round transatlantic flight, the IAA estimates that this new air service could have a more than $50 million annual impact on Indiana’s economy.
Flights start at around $520 round trip.
