'So I think in the long term they see this as a money maker, but in the short term, they want to make sure there's enough demand, because it costs them a lot of money to get these things going.' They look at the routes, and they plan that these things are a good business decision for them,' Sankovic said. 'I think what the airlines really want is to make sure that there's a little bit of a - the risk is reduced.

This expansion is due to the collaboration between the Cleveland business community, JobsOhio and Team NEO to show financial support for the service. 'At it's core, the purpose of an airport is to bring economic vitality to a city, to a region and to a community,' Kramer said, 'and so this air service today that we're announcing helps us realize that vision.'

Airport Director Dennis Kramer is excited about the impact this service will have on Cleveland. Initial projections show the service will have an $85-million economic impact in the first three years. Ideastream Public Media Cleveland Hopkins Director Dennis Kramer is excited about the economic impact this service will have on the region. 'Cleveland has always been a global city,' Sankovic said, 'and I think that it's very important to have that flight and more so that we'd really have that prominence.' Sankovic hopes this will be the first of several direct flights between Cleveland and Europe. 'Hopkins used to be the lead in many different areas,' Sankovic said, 'and I think this is just a good sign of the resurgence of the commercial industrial activity in the region.' Sankovic said this expansion is a sign Cleveland is on the upswing.

“Cleveland Hopkins being the – it’s the largest airport in the state,' Sankovic said, 'and so it’s I think high time we’ve had a direct flight to Europe again.” This will be the first nonstop international flight in Cleveland since the short-lived service to Iceland in 2018. 'Europe is currently the number one unserved market with no direct service from Cleveland Hopkins Airport' Husted said. Jon Husted said 320 passengers depart Cleveland each day for destinations in Europe. Jon Husted spoke about the economic impact the connection between Cleveland and Dublin will have on the community.

Aer lingus flights to dublin