by Bernie English
A JUMP of almost one-quarter in US passenger numbers and a 10 per cent increase in European traffic is being predicted at Shannon airport this year.
As the summer officially began for the newly independent airport over the May bank holiday weekend, Shannon launched its schedule for the busy months ahead.
In all, 33 separate destinations will be served this summer from the Mid-West airport. Among these are five new services – two in the US (Chicago and Philadelphia), two in mainland Europe (Alicante and Faro) and one in the UK (Glasgow).
Among the 33 destinations are six hub airports (Chicago, Boston, Heathrow, JFK, Philadelphia and Newark), offering Shannon passengers one-stop connectivity to thousands of airports worldwide.
In addition to the five new services, four existing routes will enjoy additional frequencies.
The transatlantic market is showing the sharpest recovery, with the airport this year offering five US destinations – the first time since 2009 that Shannon has had that number.
Shannon is now one of only two airports in the country with transatlantic services and the only one on the entire western seaboard. It is also remains the only airport on the western seaboard to have connectivity to hub airports .
Airport Director Mary Considine said that options for passengers seeking to fly out to, or in from, Europe, the UK and the US have already been significantly strengthened at Shannon, just four months into life as an independent airport.
“The advances already made, with new routes to very attractive destinations, as well as greater frequencies on other popular services, are a real boost for the airport and, particularly, for passengers at Shannon.
“Growing the range of services for passengers was one of our key priorities when we set out in January. The more routes we secure, the more people will opt for Shannon because it is such an accessible, convenient and easy-to-use airport.”
