ALMOST 40,000 people are expected to travel through Shannon Airport next weekend as the airport gets set for an August bank holiday bounce in business.
It represents an 87 per cent increase in passenger numbers over the same period in 2019 before the Covid pandemic.
Airport management say that the pent-up desire to take off on an overseas break is evident, with destinations like Malaga, the Canary Islands, Alicante, Barcelona and Malta proving popular with Shannon passengers.
The airport’s Summer schedule offers 27 destinations in 11 countries, with 108 weekly frequencies to the US, UK and Europe.
Airport Operations Director Niall Maloney said bookings for next weekend indicated that Shannon would be handling its largest number of passengers for the August bank holiday in three years.
“In addition to our popular traditional routes, we have a number of new summer services this year, among these are Malta, Barcelona, Budapest, Edinburgh, and Corfu. Vueling Airlines, a new carrier to Shannon, will start their Paris service in September.
“We are focused on rebuilding and broadening the options available for our passengers. We have worked with other service providers at the airport to ensure that the journey through the airport is as easy and hassle free as possible.
“Facilities such as our US Pre-clearance, the airport sensory room, along with the short distance from our car parks to the terminal building, compliments our latest investment in high tech security screening and all adds to making the journey easier.”
“Passengers taking to the skies this bank holiday weekend from Shannon will experience the airport’s multi-million euro passenger screening system, which eliminates the 100 ml rule and cuts time spent through screening by half. Shannon is the first state airport in Ireland to introduce this time saving security screening system, Mr Moloney added.
