INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Irish airline Aer Lingus‘ inaugural flight to Dublin, Ireland, lifted off Saturday evening from the Indianapolis International Airport.

It was a festive evening at Gate A4 in the Indianapolis International Airport (IND), as Aer Lingus landed its new nonstop transatlantic flight from Dublin. The plane arrived early Saturday evening in Indianapolis with passengers from Dublin Airport, and it is heading out again around 8 p.m. with a plane full of Hoosier passengers headed to the Emerald Isle.

IND hosted a combined welcome and send-off gate event that included an Ireland preview centered around Irish culture, honored speakers, and live performances. The event was filled with traditional music and dance from local Irish artists.

Saturday’s celebration of the new Dublin nonstop flight included an Aer Lingus appearance at Indiana University Health Foundation’s Rev event, where guests walked the green carpet and posed for Aer Lingus-themed photo opportunities.

The Aer Lingus Dublin flight gives Hoosiers and global businesses access not just to Ireland, but also major cities in Europe and the United Kingdom, such as Paris, London, Frankfurt, Rome, and Amsterdam.

As an added convenience, Dublin Airport is one of only two airports in Europe that provides preclearance for U.S.-bound travelers. Those traveling on nonstop flights to the United States will complete immigration and customs procedures in Dublin prior to their departure, and are treated as domestic passengers after arriving to IND.

To book a nonstop flight on Aer Lingus from the Indianapolis International Airport to Dublin, click here.

Indiana’s economic connection to Ireland

Data shows an average of 545 people travel from the Indianapolis area to European destinations daily. By attracting Indiana’s new year-round transatlantic flight, the Indianapolis Airport Authority estimates that this new air service could have a more than $50 million annual impact on Indiana’s economy.

Indiana is home to 52 Ireland-based businesses.

Quotes

“This is a big day for our team here at the Indy airport. Our air service team worked diligently over the past five years to secure this opportunity, pursuing crucial industry conversations and transforming those into a full-scale community effort to connect Indy nonstop to Ireland and 20 other European cities.”

Mario Rodriguez, executive director for the Indianapolis Airport Authority.

“Rolling out the green carpet for Rev at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Aer Lingus is the perfect way to celebrate this historic launch in the city. This nonstop flight brings Indy closer to the heart of Europe, and we’re thrilled to see our city take its place on the global runway.”

Megan Carrico, senior director of public affairs for the Indianapolis Airport Authority.

“At Aer Lingus, our mission is to strengthen connectivity between North America and Europe. This new direct flight between Indianapolis and Dublin is a significant milestone for our airline, bringing the number of transatlantic routes we fly to a total of 24. Indianapolis is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States and a vibrant hub for business, sports, and culture. With this new service, Aer Lingus will offer the only direct flight connecting Indianapolis to Europe, fostering stronger business, cultural, and sporting ties across the Atlantic.”

Lynne Embleton, chief executive officer for Aer Lingus.

“This new connection between our capital city and Ireland opens up new pathways for Indiana businesses and residents alike while creating countless opportunities for our economy, tourism industry and communities. There is no better time than May – a month that welcomes race enthusiasts from across the world for one of the most iconic sporting events – to celebrate this new flight and showcase the incredible culture and vibrant future of our state.”

David Adams, Indiana Secretary of Commerce.

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated image of himself dressed as pope as the mourning of Pope Francis continues and just days before the conclave to elect his successor is set to begin. Trump’s action drew rebukes from a group representing Catholic bishops in New York and among Italians.

The image, shared Friday night on Trump’s Truth Social site and later reposted by the White House on its official X account, raised eyebrows on social media and at the Vatican, which is still in the period of nine days of official mourning following Francis’ death on April 21. Catholic cardinals have been celebrating daily Masses in his memory and are due to open the conclave to elect his successor on Wednesday.

The death of a pope and election of another is a matter of utmost solemnity for Catholics, for whom the pope is Christ’s vicar on Earth. That is all the more true in Italy, where the papacy is held in high esteem even by nonreligious Italians.

The image featuring Trump in a white cassock and pointed miter, or bishop’s hat, was the topic of several questions during the Vatican’s daily conclave briefing Saturday. Italian and Spanish news reports lamented its poor taste and said it was offensive, given that the period of official mourning is still underway.

Left-leaning former Premier Matteo Renzi said the image was shameful. “This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the right-wing world enjoys clowning around,” Renzi wrote on X. “Meanwhile, the U.S. economy risks recession and the dollar loses value. The sovereignists are doing damage, everywhere.”

The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, declined to comment.

In the United States, the New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the bishops of the state in working with government, accused Trump of mockery.

“There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President,” they wrote. “We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us.”

Italy’s left-leaning La Repubblica also featured the image on its homepage Saturday with a commentary accusing Trump of “pathological megalomania.”

The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the backlash to the image or why the president had shared the image.

But Jack Posobiec, a prominent far-right influencer and Trump ally who recently participated in a Catholic prayer event in March at Trump’s Florida resort, defended the president.

“I’m Catholic. We’ve all been making jokes about the upcoming Pope selection all week. It’s called a sense of humor,” he wrote on X.

The episode comes after Trump joked last week about his interest in the vacancy. “I’d like to be pope. That would be my number one choice,” the thrice married president, who is not Catholic, told reporters.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, piled on.

“I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope. This would truly be a dark horse candidate, but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility!” Graham, R-S.C., wrote on X. “The first Pope-U.S. President combination has many upsides. Watching for white smoke…. Trump MMXXVIII!”

Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic and was one of the last foreign officials to meet with Francis before the pope died, also joked about Secretary of State Marco Rubio becoming pope, suggesting Rubio could add it to the long list of titles he holds, including national security adviser and acting archivist.

Beyond floating himself for the job, Trump also has put in a plug for Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York.

“I have no preference. I must say, we have a cardinal that happens to be out a place called New York who’s very good. So we’ll see what happens,” he said.

Dolan, 75, is one of 10 U.S. cardinals who will be voting in the conclave, but Trump’s pitch might have cost Dolan support.

The reason conclaves are held in secrecy, with cardinals sequestered for the duration, is to prevent outside secular powers from influencing their choice, as occurred in centuries past.

There is an old saying about campaigning for the job of pope or of being promoted excessively, especially by outsiders: If you “enter a conclave as pope, you leave as a cardinal.”

While Trump attended Francis’ funeral, he and Vance have clashed with U.S. bishops in general and Francis in particular over the administration’s hard line stance on immigration and its efforts to deport migrants en masse. Right before he was hospitalized in February for pneumonia, Francis issued a strong rebuke of the administration’s mass deportation plans and Vance’s theological justification of it.

Over 12 years as pope, Francis tried to remake the U.S. Catholic hierarchy more in his image, elevating pastors who prioritized social justice and migration issues over culture warriors who were more favored by his more doctrinaire predecessors St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI. A new pope who is more conservative could reverse that effort.

Trump has nominated as his ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch, whose Catholicvote.org has been aggressively covering the pre-conclave days at the Vatican. It was one of the main disseminators in English-speaking media of a report, flatly and officially denied by the Vatican, that Cardinal Pietro Parolin had had a health scare this past week that required medical attention.

Parolin was the secretary of state under Francis and is seen as a leading contender to be pope. He is also the main architect of the Vatican’s China policy and its controversial 2018 deal with Beijing over bishop nominations — a deal that the was sharply criticized by the first Trump administration.

___ Winfield reported from Vatican City.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The tipoff times for the first four games of the Indiana Pacers series against the Cleveland Cavaliers were announced.

• Game 1 (Cleveland) – Sunday, May 4 at 6 p.m.
• Game 2 (Cleveland) – Tuesday, May 6 at 7 p.m.
• Game 3 (Indianapolis) – Friday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m.
• Game 4 (Indianapolis) – Sunday, May 11 at 8 p.m.
• Game 5 (Cleveland) – Tuesday, May 13, TBD
• Game 6 (Indianapolis) – Thursday, May 15, TBD
• Game 7 (Cleveland) – Sunday, May 18, TBD

The Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks in dramatic fashion on Tuesday night to win the series 4-1.

The Pacers went 3-1 against the Cavs in the regular season.

This is the first time the Pacers and Cavs have played each other in the playoffs since 2018.

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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the disappearance of Ethan Flynn, a 23-year-old white male who is 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs 160 pounds, has brown hair with blue eyes, and was last seen wearing a gray ball cap, glasses, black t-shirt, blue pants, and gray shoes.

Ethan is missing from Battle Ground, Indiana, which is 62 miles northwest of Indianapolis, and was last seen on Friday, May 2, 2025 at 9 p.m. He is believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance. 

If you have any information on Ethan Flynn, contact the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office at 765-423-9321 or 911.