At 16:15 on Thursday 23 October, an Aer Lingus Airbus A320 touched down in Prague, marking the first direct commercial service from Ireland’s second-largest city, Cork, since 2008. The carrier will operate the 1,605-kilometre sector twice weekly (Thursdays and Sundays) throughout the winter schedule, complementing its long-standing Dublin–Prague route. The launch responds to surging demand for leisure city-breaks and growing trade links between the South-West of Ireland’s pharmaceutical cluster and Czechia’s advanced-manufacturing base.
For global-mobility teams the route offers a non-stop option for Czech assignees working at Apple, BioMarin or Johnson & Johnson facilities around Cork, eliminating the need to connect via Dublin or London. With lead-in fares from €49.99 one-way, the service is also cost-effective for short-term assignments and rotational engineers.
Tourism officials on both sides expect the link to generate around 20,000 two-way passengers this winter. Prague Airport has bundled the new service into its destination-marketing campaign aimed at regional UK and Irish travellers looking for Christmas-market getaways.
The absence of direct competition gives Aer Lingus pricing power, but corporate travel buyers can leverage the airline’s trans-Atlantic joint venture with American Airlines to secure through-fares beyond Cork. The schedule, departing Cork mid-morning and returning from Prague early afternoon, is tailored for weekend leisure trips yet still permits four-day business missions without requiring overnight stays at either end.
For global-mobility teams the route offers a non-stop option for Czech assignees working at Apple, BioMarin or Johnson & Johnson facilities around Cork, eliminating the need to connect via Dublin or London. With lead-in fares from €49.99 one-way, the service is also cost-effective for short-term assignments and rotational engineers.
Tourism officials on both sides expect the link to generate around 20,000 two-way passengers this winter. Prague Airport has bundled the new service into its destination-marketing campaign aimed at regional UK and Irish travellers looking for Christmas-market getaways.
The absence of direct competition gives Aer Lingus pricing power, but corporate travel buyers can leverage the airline’s trans-Atlantic joint venture with American Airlines to secure through-fares beyond Cork. The schedule, departing Cork mid-morning and returning from Prague early afternoon, is tailored for weekend leisure trips yet still permits four-day business missions without requiring overnight stays at either end.
