Traffic figures at Shannon Airport have hit a record breaking 2.5 million for the first nine months of 2005, and the airport says it expects to exceed 3 million by the end of the year.
The fastest growing market is the UK. A total of 873,000 people have travelled on UK routes since the beginning of the year, a rise of 68% on last year. European routes are up 41%, with transatlantic routes showing just a 2% rise.
The rise can also be attributed to more charter traffic going through the airport, with west of Ireland passengers flying to sun destinations from Shannon. 132,440 passengers went on holidays from Shannon this year, up 14% on last year.
Airport Director Martin Moroney said it confirms that once the required air services are in place at Shannon it will be supported by inbound tourists, as well as by people living close to and up to two hours away from the airport.
