An endangered turtle has boarded an Aer Lingus flight en route to her new home in Gran Canaria.
Solstice, a green sea turtle, washed up on a County Clare beach on Christmas Eve and was nursed back to health by Dingle Oceanworld.
The turtle is thought to have suffered a seal or shark attack along with pneumonia and meningitis from the cold waters.
She arrived in Dublin Airport today and was presented with a personalised boarding card before catching her flight.
In advance of the flight to Gran Canaria, Aer Lingus Chief Technical Pilot, Captain Conor Barrett, aided by colleagues in Ground Ops, Maintenance, and Flight Operations, worked closely with the team at Dingle Oceanworld to carefully plan for Solstice’s journey home.
From custom transport containers to on-board environmental controls, every precaution will be taken to ensure Solstice’s safety and comfort during the flight.
Once she touches down in Gran Canaria, an official from Tarifa Wildlife Recovery Centre will be on hand to begin her re-adaptation to her environment, with the goal of releasing her back into the wild.
Safety
Donal Moriarty, Aer Lingus Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, says: "Aer Lingus is proud to support the team at Dingle Oceanworld in their remarkable efforts to give Solstice a second chance.
"Every measure has been taken to ensure Solstice’s safety and comfort as she travels with Aer Lingus to Gran Canaria. Solstice has her own assigned seat, right next to her carer, and a specially designed container that has been fitted safely by our engineering team to ensure a smooth journey.
"Green sea turtles are an endangered species and this vital conservation effort provides Solstice with the opportunity to recover and flourish, helping to safeguard the future of her species."
'Survivor'
Kevin Flannery, Director, Dingle Oceanworld, says: "Solstice is a real survivor and has shown real resilience to overcome both pneumonia and meningitis.
"We estimate that Solstice is between 5 and 8 years old – which is very young given that green sea turtles live up to 90 years.
"Given her long potential lifespan, it was crucial that we did everything possible to return her to her native waters, ensuring she has the best chance to thrive and contribute to the health of the sea turtle population."
This is not the first, or even second time Aer Lingus has worked with local rescue teams to help a lost sea turtle find its way home. Loggerhead turtle Julius Caesar, affectionately known as ‘JC’, was reunited with his native land in 2021, and before that “Leona,” also a loggerhead turtle, was transported back to Gran Canaria in 2014.
