Ireland West Airport welcomes first flight from Groningen in The Netherlands

Ireland West Airport were delighted on Saturday, June 7, to welcome the inaugural flight from Groningen in The Netherlands to the West of Ireland with leading Dutch tour operator BBI Travel and Emerald Airlines.
The flight touched down at Ireland West Airport at 3.45pm carrying over 50 Dutch holiday makers travelling to the West of Ireland for a weeklong holiday.
The weekly service will be operated by Emerald Airlines every Saturday for 13 weeks between June and August 2025. This is a major boost for tourism in the west of Ireland as this new service will provide the only current direct access from The Netherlands to the West and Northwest of Ireland for summer 2025.
BBI Travel specialise in putting together complete travel packages to Scandinavia, Iceland, Canada and Ireland.
Commenting after arriving in on the first flight into the West of Ireland from Groningen, Henk van der Kooi, owner of BBI Travel said: “This new connection is a great opportunity for travellers from Northern Netherlands who want to discover the beautiful West of Ireland. With these direct flights we are responding to the increasing demand for authentic travel experiences, offering our customers a comfortable way to reach one of the most beautiful regions in Ireland.”

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Welcoming Saturday's announcement, Joe Gilmore, Managing Director Ireland West Airport added: “We are thrilled to welcome the first flight today from Groningen, full of Dutch tourists arriving direct into the heart of the West of Ireland to holiday in our region. With thousands of Dutch holiday makers set to use this brilliant new service this summer this will be a major tourism boost for the West and Northwest regions, providing direct access for Dutch visitors to this beautiful region. Tourism Ireland research shows that 40 percent of Dutch visitors to Ireland visit the West, Northwest and Midlands regions each year and this new service will provide a direct route to the West Coast for summer 2025. We look forward to working with Henk and the team at BBI Travel and Tourism Ireland in supporting this service.”
Welcoming the new service, Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “We are delighted to welcome this new charter service from Groningen to Ireland West Airport Knock, which represents an opportunity to grow holiday visitor numbers from the Netherlands to the Wild Atlantic Way this summer. As an island destination, direct access is critical to tourism growth, so we greatly welcome this new flight. We look forward to continuing our partnerships with BBI Travel, Emerald Airlines and Ireland West Airport Knock to maximise its success.”
The new service will operate every Saturday until the end of August. For further information log onto www.bbi-travel.nl.

Pictured above welcoming visitors from The Netherlands to Ireland West Airport were TDs Dara Calleary and Alan Dillon; Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr John O'Hara and Managing Director of Ireland West Airport, Joe Gilmore. Pic: Michael McLaughlin