The Dublin Airport Authority has signed heads of agreement with the US international cargo group Lynxs, which marks the start of a process to develop a global air freight hub at Shannon Airport.
The plan will see Lynxs constructing a new temperature-controlled freight logistics facility at Shannon with infrastructural support from the DAA. The facility is designed to bring in new freight opportunities to Shannon from transport and logistics companies both here and abroad.
In a statement this afternoon the DAA said the new cargo hub would provide significantly improved facilities for Shannon's existing cargo businesses and would "radically re-position" the airport's cargo capabilities.
It will include chilled frozen and heated areas for cargo which will enable Shannon to bid for more high-value high-volume freight business.
Shannon Airport Authority chairman Brian O'Connell said the agreement would give Shannon an excellent opportunity to exploit its central location between the major economies of the US, Europe and Asia and to develop as a significant cargo destination.
Shannon body eyes new tourism project
Shannon Development has announced plans to develop a major visitor attraction such as a themed adventure park or a diaspora visitor centre on land beside the well-known Bunratty Castle and Folk Park in Co Clare.
The Bunratty site is one of the country's biggest tourist centres, attracting around 400,000 visitors every year and generating income of €20m for the region.
Shannon Development has access to a land bank of 120 acres beside the Castle, and is now seeking investors to enter into a management agreement with it to develop and operate a new tourist product.
The agency says its own research has indicated that possible visitor attractions include a diaspora centre and genealogy centre, a themed family adventure park and other projects which would outline as much as possible about Ireland's history and culture in one location.
The company has already led a delegation to promote the idea in the US, meeting members of the North American Advisory Council, a network of Irish people with family and business ties to the Shannon region. The council will help to promote the new tourism attraction project, and possibly find an interested investor.
The company will also be seeking investors from Ireland and across Europe for expressions of interest and ideas about how to develop the new tourist site.
