Editor’s note: This story has been updated with news of the governor’s press conference taking place.
All signals are a go that Aer Lingus non-stop service from Bradley International Airport to Dublin Airport in Ireland will begin. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is scheduled to hold a news conference at 2 p.m. today at the airport.
His office won’t comment on what the announcement is but Irish newspapers are reporting the start of new service is likely. A U.S. executive for Aer Lingus claimed those reports were premature before Malloy’s office announced the news conference. Numerous outlets had reported an announcement was likely as soon as Wednesday.
“We are still in the process of finalizing our 2016 long haul schedule and expect to make announcements in the comings weeks. Any recent reports are purely speculative and we do not comment on speculation,” said Rosemarie Curran, consumer sales and marketing executive for Aer Lingus at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, N.Y.
Reached Tuesday night, Curran refused to answer what changed between Tuesday morning and Tuesday afternoon to accelerate the approval process.
The Belfast Telegraph said Tuesday that Aer Lingus will be flying to Bradley, as well as Los Angeles. Miami is being mentioned as a possible third destination. Aer Lingus is a domestic partner with United Airlines.
In June, Malloy flew to Ireland to meet with officials from airline Aer Lingus to pitch the idea of adding a direct, transatlantic flight from Dublin to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. The Telegraph is saying the Irish airline will receive $5 million in incentives in addition to free landings for two years.
According to FAA regulations those incentives cannot come directly from the airport authority. They have to be offered by state or local governments. Malloy earlier this year proposed offering Aer Lingus a $5 million state revenue guarantee subsidy in case the transatlantic flight to Bradley doesn’t make a profit in its first few years of flying. That $5 million proposal did not make it into the final state budget this legislative session, but the governor’s office is working on the issue and possibly finding other revenue sources, said Malloy spokesman Mark Bergman back in June.
