Aer Lingus Launching First-Ever Nonstop Flights Between Pittsburgh And Dublin
Aer Lingus connects Pittsburgh to Ireland from May 2026
Aer Lingus will launch the first-ever scheduled nonstop flights between Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) and Dublin Airport (DUB), creating a direct air bridge between western Pennsylvania and Ireland from May 25, 2026.
The Irish flag carrier will operate the route four times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The service is planned as year-round, with a short seasonal pause in January and February. Flights are already on sale.
The route will be operated by the Airbus A321LR, Aer Lingus’ long-range narrowbody configured for transatlantic flying.
Planned timings are as follows (all local times):
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Pittsburgh → Dublin
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Departs PIT: 8:40 pm
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Arrives DUB: 8:40 am (next morning)
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Dublin → Pittsburgh
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Departs DUB: 4:10 pm
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Arrives PIT: 7:10 pm
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Arrivals into Pittsburgh will be especially smooth: passengers will depart Dublin US-precleared, meaning immigration and customs are completed in Ireland. On arrival at PIT, travelers simply walk off the aircraft like on a domestic flight and head straight to baggage claim or the exit.
Aer Lingus Chief Customer Officer Susanne Carberry highlighted how the route fits into the carrier’s transatlantic growth:
The new flight “builds on our strong partnership with the Pittsburgh Steelers and further cements Aer Lingus’ position as a leading transatlantic carrier… through its Dublin hub, Aer Lingus provides convenient connections that link Pittsburgh with over 30 destinations across Europe and the U.K.”
Dublin hub unlocks Europe and the UK
While the new route is a big win for point-to-point travel between Pittsburgh and Dublin, its real power lies in connectivity. From Dublin, Aer Lingus offers easy same-ticket connections to:
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Across Ireland – e.g. Donegal and other regional destinations
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UK regional cities – including Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow
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Major European capitals and hubs, such as:
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Amsterdam
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Berlin
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Geneva
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Madrid
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Paris
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Rome
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Venice
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Zurich
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For Pittsburgh-area travelers, this means one stop to a wide range of European destinations, with the convenience of US preclearance and a single ticket. For European travelers, Pittsburgh now joins London and Reykjavik as one of three transatlantic gateways into western Pennsylvania.
A route built on deep Pittsburgh–Ireland ties
The new service isn’t appearing out of nowhere—it sits on top of decades of cultural and business links between western Pennsylvania and Ireland.
Pittsburgh has a large Irish-American community, and the Rooney family, owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers, trace their roots to Newry in Northern Ireland. The late Dan Rooney Sr. co-founded The Ireland Funds and served as US Ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2012.
Aer Lingus is already an Official Airline of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the team’s historic first NFL regular-season game in Dublin in September 2025 helped spotlight the relationship between the regions.
Several major Pittsburgh-based companies also have a footprint in Ireland. For example:
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UPMC operates multiple hospitals in Ireland, including the Sports Surgery Clinic, and is a major employer in Pennsylvania and abroad.
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Regional institutions and development agencies have been building links through apprenticeship exchanges, trade missions, and research partnerships, including visits to Pittsburgh’s advanced manufacturing hub Neighborhood 91 at PIT.
Local and state officials see the route as a tool for growing trade, tourism, and investment in both directions—made easier now that there’s a nonstop flight tying the two regions together.
Big economic win and network boost for Pittsburgh
Airport and regional leaders are calling the new service a major validation of Pittsburgh’s growth and global relevance.
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Aer Lingus chose Pittsburgh as the only North American city in this latest route announcement, which also included four new European routes.
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The new flight will be PIT’s third transatlantic route, joining services to London and Reykjavik.
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With this addition, Pittsburgh now reaches 63 nonstop destinations and is served by 16 airlines.
According to economic modeling by EDRG, the Aer Lingus service is expected to generate:
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Around $23 million in annual economic impact
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Support for approximately 156 jobs in the region
For local tourism, VisitPittsburgh sees an opportunity to welcome more European visitors to a city positioning itself as a center of innovation, culture, and major investment across sectors like healthcare, technology, and advanced manufacturing.
Sustainability alignment: SAF and long-term goals
Aer Lingus is part of the International Airlines Group (IAG), parent company of British Airways, and has committed to:
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Net-zero carbon emissions by 2050
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Powering 10% of flights using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2030
Those ambitions align neatly with Pittsburgh International Airport’s own energy strategy. PIT is partnering with Avina Synthetic Aviation Fuel on a facility that could produce over 100 million gallons of SAF annually on airport property, with operations expected around 2028. If realized, it would be the first on-airport SAF facility in the US supplying fuel directly to aircraft at the airport.
This builds on PIT’s existing natural gas and solar-powered microgrid, which allows the airport to operate independently of the local power grid, improving resilience and cutting utility costs.
Bottom Line
From May 25, 2026, Aer Lingus will finally give Pittsburgh something it has never had before: a nonstop link to Dublin and, through it, convenient access to much of Ireland, the UK, and continental Europe.
With four weekly A321LR flights, US preclearance in Dublin, deep cultural ties, and strong business and sustainability alignment between Pennsylvania and Ireland, this route has all the ingredients to become a long-term pillar of Pittsburgh’s transatlantic network.
