Irish Stamps: Airmails

Irish Airmail Stamps & First Flight Covers:

Flown airmail ‘first flight’ covers and airmail stamps are very sought after worldwide but Ireland occupies a special place in the early days of flown mail, i.e. it was the closest place in Europe to the Americas and was the scene of many pioneering Trans-Atlantic flights. In the early days of aviation, a new flight route was remarkable and airports were few, but planes from that era only needed a fairly level grass strip, or a beach, or, later on, a calm expanse of water to take off / land.

  • Portmarnock Beach in North Co Dublin was a popular spot for early Irish aviation
  • The Irish Air Force base at Baldonnel, in south Co Dublin was Ireland’s first commercial airport
    • It later switched to a new location at Collinstown Aerodrome, in north Co Dublin but not before two plans for an airport on Sandymount Strand in Dublin Bay were rejected
  • Shannon Airport was so-called because planes landed on the relatively calm waters of the Shannon Estuary at Foynes, Co Limerick

Airmail Overprints:

In 1932, Captain James A. Mollison flew his monoplane “Hearts of Content / G-ABXY” on a pioneering flight from Portmarnock, Co Dublin to Harbour Grace, Newfoundland. The flight took 30 hours and 15 minutes to complete. Some of the mail he carried was franked with a special 1/- overprint. Two varieties exist and both are rare – one with and one without the date (1932). Unused examples also exist and some are initialed on the reverse, “JAM”. It is not known if these overprints are:

  1. Produced by Mollison himself
  2. Produced by The Irish Aero Club
  3. Produced by some ‘philatelic’ source – private or commercial

It has been suggested that the minimum economic amount for production should be in the 100s (probably 250-500) but the relative scarcity of these overprints suggests they might have been suppressed by the Irish Post Office at the time. Sadly, no records exist that either confirm or deny this.

  • 1932

    • 1/- Azure, with 4-line overprint “ATLANTIC / AIR MAIL / AUGUST / 1932” in magenta
    • 1/- Azure, with 3-line overprint “ATLANTIC / AIR MAIL / AUGUST” in magenta

Airmail Stamps:

First Flight Covers:

The first known ‘flown’ mail took place during the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 when wealthy Parisians paid to have letters flown out over the surrounding Prussian forces – hoping that their letters could be ‘forwarded’ to their destinations by whoever found them.

  • 1870
    • About 66 unguided mail balloons were released from Paris to communicate with the outside world, of which the great majority succeeded in delivering their cargo
      • The distance and direction depended on the wind
      • One balloon went as far as Norway
    • As the Prussian forces surrounded the city, telegraph lines were cut and messengers were captured, shot or turned back
    • At least 36 letters are known to exist addressed to Ireland

Balloon post ‘Le Jules Favre number 2’ destination Ireland.
Empire Lauré, 30 centimes brown, cancelled star 2, No. 11 on Gazette des Absents (very rare) destination Newtown Mt Kennedy, Co Wicklow, Ireland. Post stamped on the front side, Paris 30 November 1870, PD in red. On the back side the arrival post stamp, 7 December 70

After the Siege of Paris, Anglo-French scientist Dr Pierre Wesby travelled to Burton-on-Trent in England, where in 1873 he started a business to transport mail across the Irish Sea to Dublin, from England. It is not known how this venture turned out; the records of Wesby’s company were lost in 1916, when a bomb from the Zeppelin L 19 destroyed them. I wonder if any Irish Aviation collectors have any of these?

Early Irish airmail services began in the 1920s and 1930s but the ultimate prize was that of trans-Atlantic mail and commercial passenger services. We now take for granted trans-Atlantic flight but back in the 1930s it was still very much an occasion rather than a norm. Between 8 and 31 May 1919, the Curtiss seaplane NC-4 made a crossing of the Atlantic flying from the U.S. to Newfoundland, then to the Azores, and on to mainland Portugal and finally the UK. The whole journey took 23 days, with six stops along the way.

Famous pioneering ‘non-stop’ trans-Atlantic flights include the following and most of them carried mail:

  1. 1919 (14–15 June) Alcock & Brown – St Johns, Newfoundland to Clifden, Co Galway, Ireland
  2. 1927 (20-21 May) Lindberg – New York to Le Bourget Airport, Paris
  3. 1928 (12-13 April) Köhl, Fitzmaurice & von Hünefeld, – Baldonnel, Co Dublin to Greenly Island, Canada
  4. 1928 (17-18 June) Stultz & Gordon – Trepassey Harbour, Newfoundland, to Burry Port, Wales
  5. 1930 (24 June) Kingsford-Smith, van Dijk, Saul & Stannage – Portmarnock, Co Dublin – Newfoundland – New York
  6. 1930 (1-2 September) Costes & Bellonte – Paris to New York
  7. 1931 (28–30 July) Boardman & Polando – New York City to Istanbul
  8. 1932 (20 May) Amelia Earhart – Harbour Grace, Newfoundland to Culmore, Co Derry, Northern Ireland
  9. 1932 (18 August) Mollison – Portmarnock, Co Dublin to Pennfield, New Brunswick, Canada
  10. 1934 (14-15 May) Sabelli & Pond – Brooklyn, New York to Lahinch, Co Clare, Ireland
  11. 1935 (21-22 September) Vaitkus – New York to Kaunas, crash-landed in Ballinrobe, Co Mayo
  12. 1938 (17-18 July) Wrong Way Corrigan – Brooklyn, New York to Baldonnel, Co Dublin

Failed Attempts at Trans-Atlantic Flight:

Aviation in the 1920s and 1930s were epitomised by the bravery (and some might say, foolhardiness) of long distance fliers who sought fame and notoriety by attempting hitherto impossible flights. Among them were many Irish aviators – some of whom had gained their flying experience during the Great War 1914-18.

Irish Airmails:

Meanwhile, Irish airmail services started off with more modest destinations in mind.

The first non-stop trans-Atlantic passenger flights, from Germany to New Jersey took place in 1928 in an airship. Between 1931 and 1937 the Graf Zeppelin crossed the South Atlantic 136 times. It also carried mail and Irish acceptances are highly sought after. Passenger travel (and air mail) via airship, however, came crashing to a halt after the Hindenburg disaster in 1937.

  • 1934
    • Liverpool-Belfast Rail Air Services (‘last flight’ cover) 30th November 1934
    • London-Liverpool-Belfast-Glasgow (Hillman Airways) 1st December 1934
    • Belfast-Glasgow (Hillman Airways) 1st December 1934
    • Glasgow-Belfast (Hillman Airways) 1st December 1934

Although planes were seen as being safer (and faster), regular trans-Atlantic flights did not reach reality until the arrival of the Pan Am Boeing B-214 Yankee Clipper seaplane in June 1939. The “Clippers” were built for “one-class” luxury air travel, a necessity given the long duration of trans-oceanic flights – they had a cruising speed of only 188 miles per hour (303 km/h).

  • The seats could be converted into 36 bunks for overnight accommodation
  • The 314s had a lounge and dining area
    • the galleys were crewed by chefs from four-star hotels
    • white-coated stewards served five and six-course meals with gleaming silver service

The Yankee Clipper’s inaugural trip across the Atlantic was on 24 June 1939. Its route was from Southampton to Port Washington, New York with intermediate stops at Foynes, Ireland, Botwood, Newfoundland, and Shediac, New Brunswick. Its first passenger flight was on 9 July, and this continued only until the onset of the Second World War, less than two months later.

With the start of WWII on 3 September 1939, the neutral American flag airplanes could not continue on to England since that placed them in a war zone. The Pan Am-route terminated at Foynes and mail and passengers transferred to Imperial Airways seaplanes for the remainder of the flight to other locations in England.

Yankee Clipper on the Shannon river, at Foynes, Co Limerick

Yankee Clipper on the Shannon river, at Foynes, Co Limerick

More than 350 former workers and associates of Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) were reunited in Foynes, Co Limerick on 12th-15th April 2016 to share their memories and experiences of what was once the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States. Organised by Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum and supported by Fáilte Ireland and the Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau, the event represents the final ever Pan Am World Reunion and was only the second to be hosted in Europe.

  • 1939
    • The Yankee Clipper (June 24)
    • The Yankee Clipper flew across the Atlantic on a route from Southampton to Port Washington, New York with intermediate stops at Foynes, Ireland, Botwood, Newfoundland, and Shediac, New Brunswick. The inaugural trip occurred on June 24, 1939 – via the so-called trans-Atlantic “northern route.” On board were 19 fare-paying passengers.
    • This was an historic (Pan-Am) flight and covered 19 different legs:
    • Ireland (3)
      • New York-Foynes
      • Botwood-Foynes
      • Shediac-Foynes (Pan-Am Northern Trans-Atlantic) 24th June
    • Newfoundland (4)
      • Newfoundland-Shannon (Pan-Am Northern Trans-Atlantic) 24th June
    • Canada (3)
    • USA (4)
      • New York-Foynes (Pan-Am Northern Trans-Atlantic) 24th June
    • England (3)
    • USA/England Round trip
  • 1939
    • The Dixie Clipper (June 28)
    • The big new Boeing B-314, NC 18605 Dixie Clipper left Port Washington on Long Island, bound for Lisbon and Marseilles by way of Horta, the Azores – via the so-called trans-Atlantic “southern route.” Onboard were 22 paying passengers.
  • 1939
    • Not to be out-done, Britain’s Imperial Airways also launched services in June 1939 and their trans-Atlantic ‘first flight’ covers are also highly sought after:
      • Shannon-Botwood-Montreal-New York (Imperial Airways) 30th June
      • Shannon-New York (Imperial Airways) 5th August
      • Montreal to Dublin (Imperial Airways) 10th August

After WWII, the Boeing seaplanes were retired and replaced with land-based aircraft of greater speed and capacity. A large commercial airport was built to the northeast of Foynes, in Co Clare. Rianna Airport has since been re-named Shannon Airport, Dublin Airport moved from Baldonnel to Collinstown, and similar, improved facilities were built at Belfast. The shore facilities at Foynes (the original Shannon Airport) have become a museum.

Although the vast majority of early airmail covers are of a philatelic origin, it should be noted that the airlines did wish to create viable commercial airmail services but their clientele were wealthy. They quickly saw the link between wealthy air travellers, high value speedy commercial mail and affluent stamp collectors.

  • Stamp collectors – through their ‘philatelic’ mail – funded most of the Zeppelin flights
    • The Graf Zeppelin carried up to 50,000 pieces of mail on each flight
  • Stamp collecting – the hobby of kings – advertised airline services and got the target audience talking about air travel and writing about ‘first flights’ and distance records
  • Stamp design – now reflecting culture, heritage and tourism – advertised destinations and this added to the frenzy for ‘philatelic’ souvenirs
    • Imperial Airways, American Airlines and TWA led the way
    • Aer Lingus initially focused on the Anglo-Irish passenger traffic but they soon looked towards the lucrative trans-Atlantic market – they had a diaspora with an emotional attachment to Ireland to exploit!

By the 1960s and the advent of jet aircraft, the location near the Atlantic was no longer critical for airlines. Today, most traffic for Trans-Atlantic traffic to goes non-stop to Gatwick or Heathrow, while Irish-bound passengers mostly fly direct to Dublin. Irish airports, therefore, began to focus on direct flight European routes.

  • 1960
  • 1961
  • 1963
  • 1964
  • 1965
  • 1966
  • 1971
  • 1972
  • 1974
  • 1978
  • 1979
    • Rome-Dublin (Aer Lingus E1 carrying the Pope to Ireland) 29th September 1979
    • Shannon-Boston (Aer Lingus E1 carrying the Pope to the USA) 1st October 1979
  • 1980
  • 1984
  • 1986
    • Atlanta-Shannon (Delta Airlines, Lockheed L-1011-500) 8th May 1986
    • Baldonnel, Dublin-Bristol (Aer Lingus 50th Anniversary Iolar flight) 27th May 1986
    • Dublin-Isle of Man (Aer Lingus Commuter) 31st May 1986
    • Guernsey-Dublin (Aer Lingus) 1st June 1986
    • Balloon Post – Special Postmark / Tipperary 6th June 1986
    • Dublin-Nürnberg (Aer Lingus) 8th October 1986
  • 1987
    • Dublin-Moscow, via Leningrad (Aeroflot)
    • Dublin-London (Aer Lingus Boeing 737-300 maiden flight)
  • 1988
    • Dublin-Sligo (Aer Lingus) 4th January
    • Sligo-Dublin (Aer Lingus) 4th January
    • Dublin-Galway (Aer Lingus)  11th January
    • Galway-Dublin (Aer Lingus) 11th January
    • Dublin-Hamburg, via Manchester (Aer Lingus) 28th March 1988
    • Dublin-Brussels, via Birmingham (Aer Lingus) 28th March 1988
    • Dublin-Newcastle (Aer Lingus) 28th March 1988
    • Dublin-Atlanta, via Shannon (Delta Airlines) 3rd June 1988
    • Dublin-Copenhagen, via Glasgow (Scandinavian Air Service)
  • 1989
    • Dublin-East Midlands, UK (Aer Lingus Fokker 50 maiden flight) 22nd February 1989
    • Dublin-Waterford (Aer Lingus) 26th March 1989
    • Waterford-Dublin (Aer Lingus) 26th March 1989
    • Dublin-Nice (Aer France) 25th March 1989
    • Dublin-London (British Midland) 28th April 1989
    • Dublin-Farranfore (Aer Lingus) 22nd May 1989
    • Dublin-Derry (Aer Lingus) 19th October 1989
    • Derry-Dublin (Aer Lingus) 19th October 1989
    • Dublin-Brussels (Aer Lingus) 27th October 1989
  • 1990
    • Dublin Airport Anniversary () 19th January
    • Dublin-Birminghan (Scandinavian Air Service)
    • Munich-Dublin (Lufthansa / Boeing 737) 1st April 1990
    • Dublin-Munich (Lufthansa / Boeing 737) 1st April 1990
    • Sligo-Luton (Ryanair) 23rd May 1990
    • Dublin-Los Angeles (Aer Lingus) 19th September 1990
    • Dublin-Brussels (Aer Lingus Fokker 50 maiden flight) 27th October 1990
    • Dublin-Barcelona (Iberia Airlines) 28th October 1990
  • 1991
    • Seattle-Dublin (Aer Lingus Boeing B-767 delivery flight) 29th March 1991
    • Amsterdam-Cork (KLM City Hopper) 6th April 1991
    • Dublin-London (Aer Lingus B-767 maiden flight) 8th April 1991
    • Dublin-Milan (Alitalia) 25th April 1991
    • Dublin-Atlanta (Delta Airlines) 2nd May 1991
    • Dublin-Paris (Air Littoral) 10th June 1991
    • Dublin-Dusseldorf (Aer Lingus) 25th October 1991
  • 1992
    • Dublin-Cologne (Lufthansa) 29th March 1992
    • Dublin-Birmingham (British European Airways) 1st May 1992
    • Milan-Dublin (Lufthansa) 18th May 1992
    • Dublin-Milan (Lufthansa) 18th May 1992
    • Dublin-Shannon (Lufthansa Junkers JU-52 Tour of Ireland Flight) postcard
  • 1993
    • Frankfurt-Dublin-Shannon (Aer Lingus) 28th March 1993
    • Dublin-Paris (Air Inter) 29th March 1993
    • Dublin-Brussels (Alitalia) 3rd April 1993
    • Shannon-Zurich (Aer Lingus) 3rd April 1993
    • Round the World / Dublin stopover (Translift Airways) 16th May 1993
    • Dublin-Los Angeles (Translift Airways) 30th May 1993
    • Dublin-Tel Aviv, Israel (Air France, UN Flight for Irish Forces to Lebanon) 2nd November 1993
    • Dublin-Birmingham (Ryanair) 8th November 1993
    • Dublin-Exeter/Newquay (Air Southwest) 30th November 1993
    • Dublin-Manchester (Logan Air) 6th September 1993
  • 1994
    • Dublin-London City (CityJet) 10th January 1994
    • Dublin-Luton (Ryanair) 3rd February 1994
    • Leed/Bradford-Dublin (Cityflyer Express) 15th March 1994
    • Shannon-Moscow (Skynet) 17th March 1994
    • Zurich-Dublin (Crossair LX) 26th March 1994
    • Dublin-New York (Aer Lingus) 27th March 1994
    • Dublin-Glasgow (Manx Airlines) 29th March 1994
    • Dublin-Hamburg (Lufthansa) 2nd April 1994
    • Atlanta-Dublin (Delta Airlines) 5th April 1994
    • Dublin-Atlanta (Delta Airlines) 6th April 1994
    • Dublin-Bournemouth (Euro Direct Airlines) 11th April 1994
    • Toulouse-Shannon (Aer Lingus Airbus A340 Delivery) 2nd May 1994
    • Dublin-London (Aer Lingus Airbus A330 maiden flight) 7th May 1994
    • Dublin-Paris (Aer Lingus Airbus A330 maiden flight) 9th May 1994
    • Dublin-New York (Aer Lingus Airbus A330 maiden flight) 16th May 1994
    • 3rd Annual Balloon Airmail Flight in Ireland 30th June 1994
    • Stuttgart-Dublin (Lufthansa) 2nd July 1994
    • Dublin-Stuttgart (Lufthansa) 2nd July 1994
    • Dublin-Singapore (Singapore Airlines) 8th August 1994
    • New York-Shannon-Manchester (Aer Lingus) 1st December 1994
    • Manchester-Shannon-New York (Aer Lingus) 2nd December 1994
  • 1995
    • Dublin-Stockholm (Scandinavian Airlines) 27th March 1995
    • Dublin-Berlin (Lufthansa) 1st April 1995
    • Dublin-Hamburg (Lufthansa) 2nd April 1995
    • Stansted-Dublin (BA-146 Whisperer Jet) 18th April 1995
    • Dublin-Stansted (BA-146 Whisperer Jet) 18th April 1995
    • Dublin-Shannon (BA-146 Whisperer Jet) 22nd April 1995
    • Shannon-Dublin (BA-146 Whisperer Jet) 22nd April 1995
    • Dublin-Belfast, via Derry (Jersey European Airways) 15th May 1995
    • Freefall Parachute Record Jump (Signed cover, carried at 25,000 ft) 4th June 1995
    • New York-Dublin (British Airways Concorde Ryder Cup flight) 25th September 1995 – only 70 exist!
    • Dublin-Blackpool (Air Shannon / BAC-500) 11th October 1995
    • Shannon Airport 50th Anniv. (Aer Lingus Philatelic Society) 24th October 1995
    • Dublin to Sydney (Qantas / Boeing 747-400) 25th November 1995
    • Shannon-Gatwick, London (Aer Lingus / BAC-500) 8th December 1995
  • 1996
    • Dublin-Cork (Aer Lingus / Airbus 330) 14th February 1996
    • Kerry-Dusseldorf (Aer Lingus / Boeing 737-500) 31st March 1996
    • Kerry-Frankfurt (Aer Lingus / Boeing 737-500) 31st March 1996
    • Cork-Frankfurt (Aer Lingus / Boeing 737-500) 1st April 1996
    • Dublin-Bournemouth (Aer Lingus / Whisper Jet) 1st April 1996
    • Dublin-Zurich (Aer Lingus / Whisper Jet) 1st April 1996
    • Chicago-Dublin (Aer Lingus / Airbus 330) 1st May 1996
    • Dublin-Bournemouth (Ryanair / BAC 1-11) 9th May 1996
    • Dublin-Leeds/Bradford (Ryanair) 9th May 1996
    • Dublin-Geneva (Aer Engiadina) 9th May 1996
  • 1997
    • Dublin-Bristol (Ryanair) 1st May 1997 – only 50 covers carried
    • Dublin-Brussels (Ryanair) 1st May 1997 – only 50 covers carried
    • Dublin-Paris Beauvais (Ryanair) 1st May 1997
    • Helsinki-Dublin (Finnair / DC-9 OH-LMH) 1st May 1997
    • Dublin-Helsinki (Finnair / DC-9 OH-LMH) 6th May 1997
    • Newark-Dublin (Aer Lingus / L1011) 15th May 1997
    • Basel-Dublin (Crossair) 21st May 1997
    • Dublin-Basel (Crossair) 21st May 1997
  • 1998
    • Dublin-Vienna (Tyrolean / F70) 29th March 1998
    • Galway-Manchester (Air Kilroe / Short-360) 27th April 1998
    • Dublin-Carrickfin, Donegal (BAC Express / Short-360) 27th April 1998
    • Dublin-London Heathrow (Aer Lingus / Airbus A321 EI-CPC) 18th May 1998
    • Cork-Amsterdam (Aer Lingus) 1st June 1998
    • Dublin-Newark (Continental Airlines) 16th June 1998
    • Galway-London Luton (Air Kilroe) 23rd November 1998
  • 1999
    • Dublin-Prague (CSA Czech Airlines) 27th March 1999
    • Prague-Dublin (CSA Czech Airlines) 28th March 1999
    • Dublin-Munich (Aer Lingus / Boeing 737) 26th March 1999
    • Faro-Dublin (City Jet) 4th April 1999
    • Cologne-Shannon (Transaer) 8th May 1999
    • Dublin-Los Angeles (Aer Lingus) 28th May 1999
    • Dublin-Los Angeles (Transair) 4th June 1999
    • Dublin to New York (Delta Airlines) 15th July 1999
    • Shannon-Brussels (Virgin Express Airways) 10th November 1999
  • 2000
    • Munich-Dublin (Aer Lingus / Boeing 737) 26th March 2000
    • Dublin-Stockholm (Aer Lingus) 26th March 2000
    • Stockholm-Dublin (Aer Lingus) 26th March 2000
    • Cork-Dublin (Aer Lingus) 27th March 2000
    • Dublin-Baltimore (Aer Lingus) 6th September 2000
    • Baltimore-Dublin (Aer Lingus) 6th September 2000
  • 2001
    • Dublin-Teheran (Aer Lingus) 12th November 2001
      • This flight carried the Republic of Ireland soccer team to Teheran for the second leg of their play-off game for the World Cup 2002 in Japan & Korea
  • 2002
    • Los Angeles-Frankfurt, via Shannon (Lufthansa) 3rd March 2002
    • Dublin-Barcelona (Aer Lingus) 31st March 2002
    • Dublin-Nice (Aer Lingus) 31st March 2002
    • Dublin-Aberdeen (Ryanair) 4th April 2002
    • Dublin-Faro (Aer Lingus) 4th June 2002
    • Faro-Dublin (Aer Lingus) 4th June 2002
    • Dublin-Donegal (Euroceltic Airways) 22nd July 2002
    • Donegal-Dublin (Euroceltic Airways) 22nd July 2002
    • Donegal-Sligo (Euroceltic Airways) 22nd July 2002
    • Sligo-Dublin (Euroceltic Airways) 22nd July 2002
    • Galway-London Luton (Aer Arann Express) 9th September 2002
    • Dublin-Geneva (Aer Lingus) 27th October 2002
    • Geneva-Dublin (Aer Lingus) 27th October 2002
    • Dublin-Prague (Aer Lingus) 27th October 2002
    • Dublin-Vienna (Aer Lingus / Boeing 737) 27th October 2002
    • Vienna-Dublin (Aer Lingus / Boeing 737) 27th October 2002
  • 2003

    • Shannon-Dublin-Moscow (Skynet) 17th March 2003
    • Dublin-Bologna (Aer Lingus) 1st April 2003
    • Dublin-Oslo (Braathens / Boeing B737-700) 1st April 2003
    • Kerry-Frankfurt Hahn (Ryanair) 1st April 2003
    • Cork-Prague (CSA Czech Airlines / Boeing B737) 15th April 2003
    • Dublin-Philadelphia (US Airways / Boeing B767) 5th May 2003
    • Philadelphia-Dublin (US Airways / Boeing B767) 4th May 2003
    • Dublin-Lisbon (Aer Lingus) 14th May 2003
    • Lisbon-Dublin (Aer Lingus) 14th May 2003
    • Dublin-Isle of Man (Aer Arann Express) 21st May 2003
    • Galway-Manchester (Aer Arann Express) 9th June 2003
    • Waterford-Luton (Aer Arann Express) 9th June 2003
    • Dublin-Toulouse (Aer Lingus) 28th October 2003
  • 2004
    • Dublin-Cologne/Bonn (Germanwings) 2nd February 2004
    • Dublin-Rotterdam (Basiq Air) 29th February 2004
    • Dublin-Bilbao (Aer Lingus) 28th March 2004
    • Dublin-Lyons (Aer Lingus) 28th March 2004
    • Dublin-Venice (Aer Lingus) 28th March 2004
    • Cork-Barcelona (Aer Lingus) 30th March 2004
    • Dublin-Berlin (Aer Lingus) 30th March 2004
    • Dublin-Bristol (Aer Lingus) 30th March 2004
    • Cork-Milan (Aer Lingus) 31st March 2004
    • Dublin-Hamburg (Hapag-Lloyd Express) 2nd April 2004
    • Dublin-Stuttgart (Hapag-Lloyd Express) 2nd April 2004
    • Donegal-Prestwick, Glasgow (Aer Arann) 3rd May 2004
    • Galway-Birmingham (Aer Arann) 3rd May 2004
    • Kerry-Manchester (Aer Arann) 3rd May 2004
    • Waterford-Manchester (Aer Arann) 3rd May 2004
    • Shannon-Philadelphia (US Airways / Boeing B767) 6th May 2004
    • City of Derry-Birmingham (Aer Arann) 7th June 2004
    • Dublin-Budapest (Aer Lingus) 31st October 2004
    • Dublin-Liverpool – (Aer Lingus / Boeing 735) 31st October 2004
  • 2005
    • Shannon-Cologne (Hapag-Lloyd Express) 11th March 2005
    • Cologne-Shannon (Hapag-Lloyd Express) 11th March 2005
    • Dublin-Hamburg (Aer Lingus) 27th March 2005
    • Hamburg-Dublin (Aer Lingus) 27th March 2005
    • Dublin-Rome, Ciampino (Ryanair) 20th April 2005
    • Cork-Munich (Aer Lingus) 26th April 2005
    • Cork-Nice (Aer Lingus) 27th April 2005
    • Dublin-Doncaster (Ryanair) 28th April 2005
    • Chicago-Dublin (American Airlines) 1st May 2005
    • Dublin-Chicago (American Airlines) 2nd May 2005
    • Frankfurt/Hahn-Dublin (Ryanair) 3rd May 2005
    • Boston-Shannon (American Airlines) 1st May 2005
    • Shannon-Boston (American Airlines) 2nd May 2005
  • 2006
  • 2007
  • 2008
  • 2009
  • 2010
  • 2011
  • 2012
  • 2013
  • 2014
  • 2015
  • 2016
  • 2017
  • 2018
  • 2019
  • 2020