By Georgina Brennan

American tourists to Ireland will be able to avail of direct flights to the gem of the Emerald Isle, Co. Kerry in 2008. According to a recent agreement, American flight companies will be allowed to fly into Kerry as well as Cork, Shannon, Belfast and Dublin in 2008 under new aviation laws between Europe and the US.

Irish Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue told Irish newspapers last week that the new agreement signed in Washington recently called Open Skies will present enormous opportunities to Kerry and its tourism industry. He even predicted a gigantic rise in visitors from the U.S. to Kerry because of it. O’Donoghue estimated that 2008 would see two million visitors coming to the county that has long been a favorite of Americans.

“I have no doubt but it will happen. I have already met American Airlines, the biggest airline in the world, and if Open Skies allows them then they will fly to Kerry,” O’Donoghue said.

According to the main Kerry newspaper, The Kerryman, though airport bosses in the county are happy to see their campaign to open their runway to the U.S., they are disappointed that Kerry looks like being the last airport in Europe to benefit from the Open Skies deal. Europe and the USA have agreed to end restrictions on where airlines can fly to boost competition in the $18-billion trans-Atlantic aviation market.

The accord was reached in Washington after two years of talks. The agreement will take effect in November 2006.

Because the Irish government agreed to phase out the current one in three compulsory stop in Shannon, Ireland will not benefit from Open Skies until 2008. Kerry airport bosses are pushing to be included from the end of next year.