Aer Lingus launched new service between Dublin and Washington and announced plans for a new base in Belfast

. The Irish carrier said Dublin-Washington is the first new route under the Open Skies agreement between Europe and the United States. It will be followed in October by new Aer Lingus flights to Orlando and San Francisco. From Belfast, Aer Lingus plans to operate 21 weekly flights to London Heathrow, 14 to Amsterdam and multiple weekly frequencies to Barcelona, Budapest, Geneva and Rome.