A BOEING JET appeared in Aer Lingus livery today for the first time in nine years, as the company launched an expansion of their Shannon to Boston route.

The company has leased three Boeing 757 aircraft, two of which will replace an Airbus A330 at Shannon, allowing an expansion of the company’s transatlantic routes.

The other will fly the direct route from Dublin to Toronto.

Flights between Shannon and Boston will operate daily while flights to New York from Shannon will operate six times a week, starting on 30 March.

The airline also says that the increased capacity opens up extra connectivity, with links to other American cities.

Aer Lingus last used a Boeing in 2005, when they retired the 737-400 and 500 planes that they had used around Europe.

Their chief executive Christoph Mueller called today “significant”.

“Today’s flight marks the beginning of our major transatlantic expansion in 2014. We are confident that the increased number of flights from Shannon to New York and Boston will bring additional tourists to the Western region and further support the strong international trade links between the region and the United States.”

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