Aer Lingus resumed service Monday at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport with nonstop service to Dublin.

The Irish carrier paused service at MSP in March 2020 as air travel plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the resumption of Aer Lingus flights, all of MSP's international destinations before the pandemic have been restored amid strong demand for international travel, particularly to Europe.

Aer Lingus flights out of Terminal 1 will initially be available on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Saturdays on Airbus A330 aircraft. The airline said it will transition to daily flights between MSP and Dublin on new Airbus A321XLR planes this fall.

Aer Lingus debuted service at MSP in 2019, giving Minnesotans a new international airline and a new nonstop destination in Europe.

Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines, MSP's dominant carrier, also plans to offer nonstop service to Dublin daily beginning May 9. In a recent news release, Delta said Dublin was one of the Top 10 most-popular searches on its website by U.S. travelers heading abroad between May and August, coming in at No. 8.

Travel at MSP recovered to 35 million passengers annually in 2023, after dipping to 15 million during the throes of the pandemic. Travel hit nearly 40 million passengers in 2019.

Karla Colahan and Olivia Diercks of the duo the Ok Factor play Irish music as people deboard the first Aer Lingus flight from Dublin, Ireland, on Monday at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport's Terminal 1. To celebrate the occasion, Irish dancing, music and a water cannon salute welcomed the first flight from Dublin.
Renée Jones Schneider, Star Tribune
Karla Colahan and Olivia Diercks of the duo the Ok Factor play Irish music as people deboard the first Aer Lingus flight from Dublin, Ireland, on Monday at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport's Terminal 1. To celebrate the occasion, Irish dancing, music and a water cannon salute welcomed the first flight from Dublin.