The NC Chamber is proud to help Cornerstone member RDU Airport Authority announce that Aer Lingus has selected the airport for direct service to Dublin.  

“We are thrilled that Aer Lingus has selected RDU for its expansion in the U.S. market,” said Gary J. Salamido, president and CEO of the NC Chamber. “This direct connection between RDU and Dublin is the result of more than a year of collaboration between the business communities and chambers of commerce in each region and we are excited for the growth opportunities it brings to each market. As North Carolina continues to gain international attention as a great place to invest, we look forward to continued collaboration with partners around the world on behalf of our state’s businesses.” 

International Relationships Set the Stage

North Carolina’s #1 ranking for business, coupled with the uncertainty of federal trade and immigration policy, has attracted inquiries from chambers of commerce around the world interested in developing bilateral business relationships.  One of those was the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  

The NC Chamber signed its first-ever international memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) in March of 2024. Each chamber committed to work together to promote international trade, investment, and cooperation. It was through this engagement that we began discussing the direct flight to RDU. 

In November of 2024, Salamido and NC Chamber VP of Government Affairs Jake Cashion traveled, at their own expense, to Belfast for a weeklong introduction to the NI business community and key political leadership, hosted by the NI Chamber. One of the key issues that continued to be part of discussions was the interest in, and importance of, a direct flight to RDU from Dublin. It was on that visit that the NC Chamber team learned of the cooperative relationships between the NI Chamber, the Dublin Chamber, and local chambers of commerce in the region around Dublin. 

Business Collaborates to Make it Happen 

In March 2025, one year into the MOU, the NC Chamber  hosted a delegation of business leaders, led by the First Minister and Deputy First Minster of Northern Ireland, and coordinated briefings from the RTP Foundation, Lenovo, and NC State. We held a reception for our leadership and the delegation on NC State’s Centennial Campus where we introduced RDU President and CEO Michael Landguth to the delegation. 

Over the summer, we received word that Aer Lingus was again interested in RDU, it was a top U.S. market for expansion of service.  We coordinated a call for our member companies to be briefed on the opportunity as well as the match it would take to secure the Aer Lingus investment in our state, which included $3 million over a two-year period. RDU committed $1.5 million and needed to secure commitment for the remaining $1.5 million. 

Over the last few months, in coordination with the NI Chamber and local chambers in Ireland, our teams led private discussions with businesses and state and political leaders in both North Carolina and Northern Ireland to build support and to communicate the interest from NI and NC in securing the flight. A critical part of that effort was support from Governor Stein, Senator Phil Berger, and Speaker Destin Hall.  We appreciate their leadership in signing letters of support for the initiative, confirming that North Carolina is prepared to meet this opportunity.  

Wheels Up 

We are proud to advocate on behalf of our members, including Cornerstone member RDU, every day, but this was a particularly rewarding win. Relationships matter and it is exciting to collaborate with our international peers to make things happen for the businesses that we represent. We are pleased to see this flight launch, especially for our many members that do business in both regions.  

For more information on how RDU is working to serve our growing state and thriving economy, check out their RDU Airport Development plans.