Flying to Ireland

General Information

Ireland has around fifteen commercial airports. Three (Dublin, Cork, and Shannon) handle truly international traffic beyond a few seasonal flights and/or services to neighbouring Great Britain. Unsurprisingly, Dublin Airport sees the most passengers, with 21 million per year.

Types of Flights

Local Airlines

There are five scheduled airlines based in Ireland, the best-known being Aer Lingus (the national carrier) and Ryanair.

Aer Arann Islands: A very small airline serving the (3) Aran Islands from Connemara Airport.

Aer Lingus: The national airline, which has struggled for years amid financial difficulties and takeover talks. It serves almost exclusively Europe and the USA/Canada.

CityJet: This airline operates primarily for Air France, either under its own brand or in code-share.

Ryanair: Europe’s leading low-cost airline and one of the world’s largest carriers by passenger numbers. It is also notorious for poor labour practices, regulatory non-compliance, and aggressive marketing—earning it frequent fines from the EU...

Stobart Air: The new name for Air Aran, this airline acts solely as a subcontractor for the national carrier under the "Aer Lingus Regional" brand.

Charters, Scheduled, and Low-Cost Flights

Ireland blends a tradition of holiday flights (in both directions), scheduled services, and—like much of Europe—a rapidly growing low-cost sector, with Ryanair dominant in its home market. In short, you’ll find the full range of flight types and routes.

Promotions and Special Offers

From France

From Paris

All three of Ireland’s main international airports have connections from Paris. Flight times are roughly 1 hour 35 minutes, with return fares ranging from 80 to 230 €.

Cork: Aer Lingus from Roissy.

Dublin: Aer Lingus, CityJet, and charters from Roissy; Transavia from Orly. Plus Ryanair from Beauvais.

Shannon: Charters from Roissy. Plus Ryanair from Beauvais.

From the Regions

Ryanair’s low-cost flights, seasonal services, and a few scheduled routes to major cities mean the regions are well served—at least in summer—with around twenty French cities on the schedule. In fact, during holiday periods, many of these flights cater to Irish travellers exploring France as much as the reverse.

Beauvais: Dublin (Ryanair), Shannon (Ryanair)

Biarritz: Dublin (seasonal Ryanair)

Bordeaux: Dublin (Aer Lingus)

Carcassonne: Cork (seasonal Ryanair); Dublin (Ryanair)

Chambéry: Dublin (charters)

Grenoble: Dublin (Ryanair)

La Rochelle: Dublin (seasonal Ryanair)

Lourdes: Dublin (seasonal Transavia)

Lyon: Dublin (Aer Lingus); Shannon (seasonal)

Marseille: Dublin (seasonal Aer Lingus); Shannon (seasonal)

Mulhouse/Basel: Dublin (Ryanair)

Nantes: Dublin (Ryanair + seasonal Aer Lingus)

Nice: Cork (seasonal Ryanair); Dublin (Aer Lingus + Ryanair)

Perpignan: Dublin (seasonal Aer Lingus)

Poitiers: Cork (seasonal Ryanair); Dublin (seasonal Ryanair)

Rennes: Cork (seasonal Aer Lingus); Dublin (seasonal Aer Lingus)

Rodez: Dublin (seasonal Ryanair)

Toulouse: Dublin (Aer Lingus + charters)

Tours: Dublin (seasonal Ryanair)

Choosing Your Flight

Given the wide range of options and price points for this destination, prioritise direct flights where they exist. These generally offer the best balance of quality, duration, and price—unlike some connecting routes, which can take nearly half a day to reach Ireland. In peak season, the simplest approach is to take flights from your city (or a nearby one) to one of the three Irish airports served. Since Ireland is a destination that often benefits from promotions and special offers, especially low-cost ones, it’s worth checking opportunities on both airline and travel agency websites. Some deals even include optional extras (hotel, car hire, etc.), so you can compare those too.

As for choosing your arrival city, the country is small, so if you’re planning an itinerary, the difference won’t be huge. You can also mix and match arrival and departure cities. As long as an airline or its partners include them in their network—or if they’re separate low-cost tickets—it’s easily done.

From the Rest of Europe

Almost all Western European countries, plus a few in the East, have at least seasonal connections to Ireland. Here too, you’ll find Ryanair flights, scheduled services, and seasonal routes—many of the latter aimed at bringing Irish travellers to holiday destinations, particularly along the Mediterranean coast. Unsurprisingly, the UK (and not just London) is very well connected.

Belgium & Luxembourg

Brussels: Cork (seasonal Aer Lingus); Dublin (Aer Lingus + Ryanair)

Charleroi: Dublin (Ryanair)

Luxembourg: Dublin (Luxair)

Switzerland

Basel/Mulhouse: Dublin (Ryanair)

Geneva: Cork (seasonal Aer Lingus); Dublin (Aer Lingus + Swiss)

Zurich: Dublin (Aer Lingus + Swiss); Shannon (seasonal)