Interim chief executive of the Shannon Airport Group, Ray O’Driscoll, said it had invested over €20m in projects that had a tangible benefit to passengers and its sustainability goals.
“This brought our overall investment in the group to almost €200m in just over a decade,” he said. “We’re looking forward to an even more ambitious 2026, during which passengers will have the choice of 40 routes, the highest number operating from Shannon Airport in 17 years.”
Passenger growth last year was assisted by new routes and expanded services. Ryanair posted a fourth aircraft permanently at Shannon, representing an additional $100m investment in the region, announced new destinations including Madeira, Lapland and Madrid, and increased frequencies on 10 routes.
Shannon’s routes this year include five in the summer schedule, Rome, Warsaw, Madrid and Poznan with Ryanair, and Frankfurt with Discover Airlines, a Lufthansa Group subsidiary. There will be increased frequencies on existing services, including the Aer Lingus Boston route.
Plans are also in place for over €40m in investment this year, with projects including a full upgrade of the airport’s immigration and baggage halls, upgraded taxiways and a new thermal wrap of the external arrivals area which is important to the group reaching its energy efficiency targets.
On the ground, Shannon launched its first airfield solar farm, set to generate up to 20pc of the airport’s electricity needs, and 1,000 new passenger car park spaces, bringing the total to over 5,600.
Over the past 10 years, Shannon Airport Group has developed over one million square feet of space across the airport and its commercial property business. It is also due to complete construction of Blocks Y and Z at Shannon Airport Business Park.
Last year also marked 80 years since the first scheduled, commercial, transatlantic passenger flight from the US to Europe landed at Shannon in October 1945.
Mr O’Driscoll said: “We are far more than just an airport, and we are proud of the role The Shannon Airport Group plays in driving tourism, trade and economic growth.
“We remain committed to delivering excellent customer experience, expanding our route network, and continuing our investment in sustainability and infrastructure.”
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