Low-cost airline Norwegian Air has announced the launch of a number of new services from Cork Airport - with flights to the US starting from next year.

The airline will operate direct flights to Boston - with four to five flights a week - beginning in May 2016, and a new route to New York will run from 2017. 

The airline is also to offer a Cork Barcelona flight from next May.

The Minister for Trade Promotion, Seán Sherlock, has described today's announcement as “game changer”.

“This is a game changer not only in the strategic approach of Cork Airport moving forward but for the entire region which will benefit enormously from this announcement,” he said.

The Managing Director at Cork Airport, Neil McCarthy, says today's announcement will prove very significant for the Cork region, and highlighted its importance in both business and tourism terms.

“America is one of the key tourism markets and there are a lot of companies based in Cork with head offices on the east coast of the US so it will enhance inward connections for tourism and it will enhance connectivity for business and foreign direct investment,” he said.

He added that the “addition of direct year-round connectivity to North America has long been a target for Cork Airport.”

Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos said the new routes are "only the beginning of our plans for new routes in Ireland”.

Norwegian Air  is currently Europe's third largest low cost airline. It has 100 aircraft with another 250 ordered, and last year carried 24 million passengers.