The former Managing Director of Liverpool's John Lennon Airport has been appointed chief executive of Shannon Airport Authority.
Neil Pakey will take up the Shannon Airport position next month for a three year term.
The 52 year-old Scot was previously deputy chief executive of Peel Airports, the owner of a number of UK airports including John Lennon in Liverpool.
Mr Pakey will take over a Shannon Airport which, since New Year's Day, has been fully independent and debt-free following its separation from the Dublin Airport Authority.
Shannon has suffered a 60% fall in passenger numbers over the past five years and has been loss-making since 2008.
Transport Minister Leo Varadkar said the new chief executive's key priority will be to "arrest the decline in passenger numbers which has been the trend for the last five years, and reverse it".
"Mr Pakey will also become the CEO of the new Shannon entity to be formed from the merger of Shannon Airport with a restructured Shannon Development, which will develop a broadly-based aviation industry cluster in and around the airport providing a strong employment stimulus in the Shannon region," he said.
