IT’S going to be a busy Christmas at Shannon Airport with the gateway to the western half of the island set to see a 5 per cent in passenger numbers across the festive season.
An estimated 72,700 passengers will come through the airport which has had its the best year since its separation from the Dublin Airport Authority in 2013. Independence was preceded by five successive years of heavy losses but since then the airport has recorded year-on-year gains.
The news on Christmas passenger numbers is the latest positive outcome for Shannon in what has been an encouraging year for the airport, despite a challenging operating environment. A range of new services have been announced over the past year across transatlantic, UK and European markets, the most recent of which was last month’s announcement of a new twice-weekly East Midlands service for next year’s summer season.
Airport managing director Andrew Murphy said that Shannon was a magical place at Christmas time with many wonderful, emotional family reunions.
“Our Santa flights on the first weekend in December got people into the Christmas spirit and raised funds for our chosen staff charities. We look forward to making it easy for our passengers as they visit the airport at this special time,” he added.
Shannon Group chief executive Matthew Thomas said: “We’re on a bit of high, between the buzz of Christmas, our increased passenger numbers, our recent award wins and the fact that things are generally on the up across the region.
by Tom McCullough
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