U.S. Airways has announced it will fly from Dublin to Charlotte, North Carolina, beginning in May next and continuing to September.

They expect to carry up to 50,000 passengers on the route to their Charlotte hub. There are 600,000 Irish Americans in the North Carolina catchment area.

They will be using Dublin Airport’s new Terminal Two building which is set to be open by then.

Charlotte becomes the eighth city in America to be served by airlines from Dublin and represents a major coup for Tourism Ireland which has always wanted more southern U.S. access.

US Airways stated that  the availability of full pre-clearance facilities for departing passengers to the U.S.  from Dublin was a major factor in their decision.

The facility allows US passengers to land in the U.S. as domestic passengers.

“The availability of full pre-clearance facilities within Terminal 2 at Dublin airport was an important factor in our decision to launch this new route,” said Jason Reisinger, director of route planning at US Airways.

The Dublin Airport Authority said it was “delighted” with the U.S. Airways announcement. The airline currently also flies from Philadelphia to Ireland.