New route uncorked as Aer Lingus Cork
- New Aer Lingus service will fly three times per week to Bordeaux – the world’s wine capital and a renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- New service offers direct access to the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, famous for its wine production, historic castles and chateaux, idyllic coastal resorts, and the amazing Atlantic coastline.
- Bordeaux is the second of Aer Lingus’ new routes from Cork Airport to start this summer with the new service to Bilbao performing strongly to date.
- New route will come as a further boost to inbound tourism with France being Ireland’s fourth-largest source market for visitors.
Cork Airport — May 15, 2025 — It’s time to say “bonjour” to elegant boulevards, quaint cafés, amazing architecture, world-class museums, vast vineyards, historic castles and chateaux, idyllic coastal resorts and golden Atlantic beaches as Aer Lingus’ inaugural flight to Bordeaux departed from Cork Airport today. Flight EI818 took off shortly after 12:30 this afternoon, connecting Cork with one of France’s most iconic cities. To celebrate the occasion, passengers travelling on the first flight had the opportunity to indulge in some French cuisine before boarding, as they were treated to mini croissants and other delicacies.
As the sixth largest city in France, the new Aer Lingus service to Bordeaux offers direct connectivity with the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, home to some of the world’s finest vineyards including those at St. Emillion and the Médoc. A little further north is the département of Charente, home to Cognac, while to the west is the expansive Atlantic coastline and the idyllic seaside resorts of Arcachon, Carcans and Andernos-les-Bains.
Bordeaux as a city is the perfect location for a short break, offering much to see and do. Visitors can learn about the region’s world-class wine production at La Cité du Vin, a remarkable museum in the shape of a wine decanter. Cathédrale St-André is one of the oldest cathedrals in France, dating back to 1096 while the “Miroir d’Eau” is the world’s largest reflecting pool, situated on the riverside opposite the magnificent Palais de la Bouse. For art aficionados, la Musée des Beaux Arts is home to some amazing artworks dating from the Renaissance period and for history buffs, la Musée d’Aquitaine offers the opportunity to appreciate the heritage of the area, from the Roman era through to the present day.
The wider Bordeaux metropolitan area is home to 1.4 million people and this new route will offer “Bordelais” visitors an opportunity to fly directly to Ireland’s scenic south, the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East and Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands. According to Tourism Ireland, France is Ireland’s fourth-largest source market for inbound tourism and research showed that in 2023, 16% of French visitors to Ireland originated from south-west France. Tourism Ireland research also notes that after Dublin, the south-west region of Ireland was the second most popular destination for French visitors, with 8-in-10 seeking to explore historical or cultural sites.
REPRO FREEPictured at Cork Airport before the inaugural Aer Lingus service to Bordeaux were the flight crew, first officer Laura Russell, cabin crew Elizabeth Clohessy, Sarah O’Neill, Susan Colan-O’Leary, Tracy Cotter and Captain Seamus Cooke with Adam K
Operating three-times per week (Tue, Thu, Sat), the new service to Bordeaux provides a direct connection to the world-famous wine region and the wider Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France.
Picture. John Allen
| Depart Cork | Arrive Bordeaux | Operates | Valid | |
| EI818 | 12:25 | 15:15 | Tue, Thu | May 15 – Sep 13 |
| EI818 | 14:05 | 16:55 | Sat | May 17 – Sep 13 |
| Depart Bordeaux | Arrive Cork | Operates | Valid | |
| EI819 | 15:55 | 16:45 | Tue, Thu | May 15 – Sep 13 |
| EI819 | 17:35 | 18:25 | Sat | May 17 – Sep 13 |
Fares start at €62.99 one way including taxes and charges. For more information and to book flights, visit aerlingus.com.
About Cork Airport
Cork Airport – the fastest-growing airport in the state – is the best-connected international airport serving the South of Ireland. In 2024, Cork Airport welcomed 3.1 million passengers (+10% vs. 2023), flying on over 50 routes to the UK and continental Europe and is forecasting 10% growth again in 2025, to bring its passenger numbers to 3.4 million.
Cork Airport offers a very pleasant passenger experience, complemented by modern facilities and friendly staff delivering high passenger satisfaction levels, friendly customer service, punctual departures for airlines and is considered one of Europe’s friendliest airports. (ACI Europe “Best International Airport under 5 million passengers” – 2017, 2019).
Cork Airport is embarking upon a €200 million Capital Development programme, to put in place the necessary infrastructure to support its growth to beyond 5 million passengers per annum in the next number of years.
In addition, Cork Airport is leading the way on sustainability and has been named as the “Best Performing Commercial Semi-State Body” for energy reduction for two years running, as assessed by SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland).
About Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus is the Irish flag carrier, founded in 1936. Aer Lingus operates over 100 routes from Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Knock to Europe, the UK and North America. Reaffirming its commitment to North America, the airline will operate 24 transatlantic routes in 2025 from Dublin, Shannon and Manchester, UK to North America and the Caribbean.
Aer Lingus is a 4-star airline, awarded by Skytrax, the international air transport rating organisation. Aer Lingus is a member of International Airlines Group (IAG), one of the world’s largest airline groups. As part of IAG, Aer Lingus has pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and has committed to powering 10% of its flights using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2030.
