Aer Lingus today announced its 2018 summer schedule which features a brand new North American gateway – Philadelphia - operating four times per week from the airlines’ hub in Dublin.

The latest route expansion comes on the back of IAG investment in new aircraft, with Aer Lingus taking delivery of four new long haul planes in the last 24 months, enabling the introduction of four new transatlantic routes; Los Angeles, Newark, Hartford, Miami and now Philadelphia.

Summer 2018 will mark the airline’s largest ever long haul programme with 177,000 additional seats across the Atlantic over the summer season.

Aer Lingus’ total capacity to and from North America for 2018 will reach 2.75 million seats.

Additional transatlantic expansion includes a daily service to both San Francisco and Los Angeles on the US west coast as well as twice daily flights to Chicago.

Miami, which was launched as a new route in late summer 2017 and subsequently as a new winter route, will continue into next summer operating three times per week.

Miami combined with Orlando, operating four times weekly, will mean Florida is within easy reach every day of the week for summer 2018 thanks to passengers being able to pre-clear customs and immigration while transferring at Dublin Airport.

Washington DC will continue to operate daily for summer but on a larger Airbus A330-300 series aircraft, for four out of seven days, providing 31 per cent additional seats on the route.

Aer Lingus continues to drive its strategy of expanding its Dublin Airport base into a major gateway to North America from the UK.

Aer Lingus chief operating officer Mike Rutter said: “We are delighted to announce Philadelphia as our new route for summer 2018.

“We are proud to continue to deliver on our promise to grow our transatlantic network and further strengthen Dublin Airport as a leading gateway to North America.

“We are delighted to be delivering on the growth opportunities that being part of International Airlines Group has presented over the past two years.

“The introduction of Philadelphia comes on the back of the four new routes announced in the last two years, namely Los Angeles, Newark, Hartford and Miami.”