An endangered turtle has hitched a flight to Gran Canaria with Aer Lingus, after beaching herself in County Clare.
The green sea turtle, named Solstice, has been looked after by Dingle Oceanworld for the last 5 months - recovering from a possible shark or seal attack, meningitis and pneumonia.
She was found by Hogsprickle Rescue in County Clare, stranded on the coast.
The Rescue group sprang into action and reached out to experts at Oceanworld in Dingle for advice, it was determined the turtle was unwell and injured.
Solstice arrived at Dublin Airport this afternoon for her big move, saying hello to some fellow passengers on the way.
Aer Lingus says an official from Tarifa Wildlife Recovery Centre will be waiting for her when she arrives in Gran Canaria, with the aim of getting her adapted to a new environment and hopefully releasing her back into the wild eventually.
Kelli O'Malley from Aer Lingus, says Solstice travelled in a custom built box in the cabin:
"So she's actually traveling on the flight, and will have her own seat on board this afternoon."
"She will be traveling with two marine biologists who will be looking after her during the flight, we made sure that she has plenty of space around her and climate and environmental controls in place, that will make sure that she has a really comfortable journey."
