Canadian airline WestJet is to launch a new direct Dublin-Calgary service next summer.

The new route will operate three days per week with a Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft.

It will be the only direct scheduled service between the two cities, while the new service will also offer potential onward connections to 24 destinations including Vancouver and Las Vegas.

"It's great to see yet another Canadian destination added to the growing Dublin Airport network, and to see WestJet expand its operations in Ireland," Dublin Airport's Managing Director Vincent Harrison said.

Mr Harrison said Dublin Airport would work closely with WestJet to promote the new route and to grow passenger numbers and trade and tourism links between the two cities.

He noted that about 21,000 people per year travel already between Dublin and Calgary on indirect air services.

Calgary will be one of six Canadian destinations served directly from Dublin Airport next summer; joining Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, St John's and Hamilton, Ontario.

WestJet is Canada's second largest airline and it is headquartered in Calgary.

It operates about 725 daily flights to 105 destinations and it carried more than 24 million passengers.

Dublin was WestJet's first ever transatlantic destination, when it launched its Dublin-St John's Newfoundland service in the summer of 2014.

The new Dublin-Calgary route will operate from Dublin three times per week on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday.

Flights will depart at 13:45 and arrive in Calgary at 15:05.

The return flights will depart Calgary on Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday at 20:45 and arrive in Dublin at 11:38 the following day.