The carrier will fly daily from Dublin to Minneapolis-St. Paul from July 8 next year. The daily Montreal service from the Irish capital will start on August 8, using a brand new Airbus A321LR (long range) aircraft, a narrow body type with increased range and fuel efficiency.

Aer Lingus has seven of the new aircraft on order and will use them to open new routes on the east coast of North America that were not previously viable.

Montreal is Canada’s second biggest city and Minneapolis-St. Paul the gateway to the Midwest. The two new destinations, the airline’s 14th and 15th in North America, bring the total number of routes it operates across the Atlantic to 17. Return Montreal fares from the UK start at £239, with Minneapolis starting at £259. Connections to both services are offered from 15 British airports, including Southend, Aberdeen and Isle of Man.

The new services will add a quarter of million additional seats annually to Aer Lingus’ transatlantic network, which already offers 2.8 million seats annually between Ireland and North America.

Aer Lingus chief executive Stephen Kavanagh said: “Aer Lingus continues to deliver on its ambition to be the leading value carrier across the North Atlantic, adding new routes and travel options between Ireland, Europe, the USA and Canada, bringing increased connectivity, growing Irish employment and supporting international trade and economic growth.”