Shannon Airport has today reported a 29% increase in passenger numbers for 2023 - its best year since 2009.
The airport said it saw a total of 1.958 million passengers during the year with growth in air services across all its markets.
Passenger numbers to and from Continental Europe rose by 41% to over 748,000, while UK traffic increased by 31% to reach 838,000 and transatlantic passenger numbers increased by 24% to 296,000.
An independent report by Oxford Economics recently showed that The Shannon Airport Group delivered almost €4 billion to the country's GDP, while it supports over 20,300 jobs across the workforce and contributes €643m in tax revenues.
Shannon Airport said its services were boosted considerably last year with new Ryanair services to destinations including Naples, Porto, Béziers and Liverpool, as well as additional capacity on some popular destinations, particularly during peak holiday times and school holidays.
Another highlight was the launch of the new Aer Lingus service to the hub airport of Paris Charles de Gaulle.
Meanwhile, transatlantic services at Shannon also saw a major boost with the launch by United Airlines of a new daily Chicago service.
Delta Air Lines' daily seasonal service from Shannon to New York JFK will resume in May this year and will bring the total number of US services from Shannon to five.
Mary Considine, CEO of The Shannon Airport Group, said that Shannon Airport's temporary inclusion in the Regional Airports Programme helped it enormously to rebuild in the aftermath of Covid-19.
"Ultimately, Shannon Airport's permanent inclusion in the Regional Airports Programme will deliver economic benefits for Ireland, aligning as it does with the Government's own ambitions for ensuring balanced regional development. We have been lobbying hard for this for some time and continue to do so as we await the outcome of the Government’s Mid-Term Review of the Programme due shortly," Ms Considine added.
Ms Considine today also expressed confidence in the upcoming year.
"Our airport and commercial property activities create an environment that boosts economic growth and helps the region develop. Shannon was voted the best Irish airport brand in 2023 by Red C, and our customer focused approach will continue to be at the core of everything we do at Shannon Airport in 2024, as will growing our commercial property portfolio," she stated.
Ms Considine also highlighted the potential for the Shannon Estuary to become a major global hub for renewable energy, focusing on offshore wind energy.
"The strategic location of Shannon Airport offers huge potential for the development of sustainable aviation technology and the production of green fuel for the aviation sector, as recommended by the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce Report. We will continue to work closely with the Taskforce and Government to seize this opportunity," she added.
