Ryanair has announced a new route from Shannon to Alicante, in the first of what is believed to be a series of announcements as part of a new commercial arrangement with the Shannon Airport Authority board.
The service, which has not operated out of Shannon since 2010, is aimed at attracting an estimated 40,000 passengers who currently use Dublin and Cork to fly to Alicante.
Passenger figures at Shannon at the end of 2012 were 1.4 million, and the new board aims to bring that up to 2.5 million over three to five years.
In relation to the $15 billion deal which Ryanair has negotiated with Boeing for 175 new aircraft, Ryanair deputy chief executive Michael Cawley said it was one of the biggest orders ever made with Boeing.
This makes Ryanair its second biggest customer after South West Airlines in the US.
He said they will buy 175 new short haul aircraft under the deal, bringing its fleet up to 475 aircraft.
He said after selling and retiring some of their fleet, they estimate they will have 400 aircraft.
