Ryanair is to start four new routes from Shannon Airport to Rome, Warsaw, Poznań and Madrid, together with a fourth based aircraft, for Summer 2026.
This represents a $400m investment by the airline.
Flights to Rome and Poznań from Shannon start on March 31 and will operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays and the year-round service to Madrid will switch to Wednesdays and Sundays for the summer season, from March 31.
There will be four weekly flights to Warsaw from March 30 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Along with the four new routes, Ryanair is further expanding its Shannon schedule next Summer with increased frequency on five established routes - Manchester, Alicante, Barcelona-Reus, Lanzarote and Malta.
This expansion brings Ryanair's total Summer offering from Shannon next year to 30 routes - the largest number ever operated by the airline from the airport.
The 1.4 expected million seats, including an additional 180,000 seats across the summer months, represents a 15% increase in seats compared to the same time last year.
Ray O'Driscoll, Interim CEO of The Shannon Airport Group, said the extra Ryanair routes are a strong vote of confidence in Shannon's growth trajectory.
"It reflects our ongoing investment in infrastructure and passenger experience, as well as our strong commitment to working with airline partners to expand our route network and deliver greater choice for customers across the country," Mr O'Driscoll said.
"These new services enhance Shannon’s connectivity to key European cities, supporting tourism, trade and regional development, and will be warmly welcomed by both holiday makers and business travellers alike," he added.
Ryanair's CCO Jason McGuinness said the airline's $400m investment in the Midwest will deliver more than 1.4 million low-fare seats from Shannon to a record 30 European destinations.
"Ryanair's four based aircraft and $400m investment in Shannon is a clear commitment to growing Ireland’s regional connectivity," Mr McGuinness said.
"This Summer Shannon will benefit from 15% additional seats and four new routes thanks to the hard work of The Shannon Airport Group, who recognise the need for efficient, cost-competitive facilities to attract growth and drive inbound tourism to the region, supporting year-round international connectivity," he said.
But he added that the Government needs to support regional airports by expanding the scope of the Regional Airports Programme 2026-30 to at least 3 million passenger a year, which would allow regional airports to grow traffic even more without being penalised for doing so.
