NEW flights from the North East to Ireland with fares as low as £35 have been announced by a budget airline and start today.

Newcastle International Airport has added even more flights to its departure board Aer Lingus Regional, which is operated by Emerald Airlines.

There will be five flights a week to Dublin and customers will able to make connections to North America onwards flights to New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Philadelphia and Toronto.

Customers choosing Aer Lingus will experience the benefit of US Immigration pre-clearance at Dublin, which allows them to arrive into the US like a domestic passenger, avoiding any lengthy immigration queues.

Ciarán Smith, head of commercial at Emerald Airlines, said: “We’re delighted to commence our services between Newcastle International and Dublin, right in time for the pent-up summer demand. “This new route will increase connectivity between the two regions and allow customers to travel seamlessly to Dublin and onwards to North America.

“We look forward to working with the team at Newcastle International Airport in ensuring the success of this new route.”

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Leon McQuaid, Director of Aviation Development at Newcastle International Airport, said: “We are delighted to welcome Aer Lingus Regional to the region.

“Not only is the airline providing additional connectivity to Ireland, it also adds one more hub to our portfolio of destinations giving passengers another option when looking for a seamless one-stop connection to cities across the USA and Canada from Newcastle.

“I am sure the new flights will be welcomed by both business and leisure passengers alike.”

Newcastle to Dublin flights are at 11am Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 12pm on Sunday.

Return journeys for North Easterners are 9.20am Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 10.20am on Sunday.

Customers can book flights to and from Newcastle International and Dublin via www.aerlingus.com or with their local travel agent.

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