Ryanair is putting on an extra service from Shannon to La Rochelle in France at the beginning of April to facilitate travel to Munster's European Rugby Champions Cup match at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre stadium.
Munster meet La Rochelle, managed by former Munster great Ronan O'Gara, on 5 April in the last 16 in the competition.
Ryanair said it is putting on a special service leaving Shannon on the morning of the match, returning on 6 April to accommodate fans, and the flights are already filling up.
The airline is also introducing a new service to Madeira this year, bringing to 26 the number of routes from the airport.
It will operate four times a week from the end of March.
Ryanair is also increasing its frequency on eight other routes including Malaga, Alicante, Faro, Porto, Edinburgh, Kaunas, Krakow and Reus this year to meet increased demand.
Shannon Airport had its biggest passenger growth in 15 years last year, with a record 2.1 million passengers - the biggest since 2009, and a growth of 7% over 2023, and an indication of the significant increased demand since passenger travel was decimated by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic over the years 2020 to the end of 2022.
The bulk of those passengers, or 1.4 million, were carried on Ryanair services.
The company said it plans to increase passenger traffic by 17% to over 1.6 million out of Shannon this year.
Ryanair has called on the Government to revise its regional airports plan, which it says is penalising regional airports who grow their figures of one million passengers.
This is having an impact on airports such as Ireland West Airport Knock, whose current passenger numbers are just below that.
Speaking from Shannon Airport, Ryanair’s Chief Marketing Officer Dara Brady said the Government needs to lift that cap to three million for airports such as Ireland West and to five million for Shannon in line with EU state aid rules to allow regional airports to access funds for further growth.
Shannon Airport Chief Executive Mary Considine said that Ryanair’s increased services this summer represent significan development and give passengers more travel options.
She welcomed the Government's commitment to maximising regional airport growth.
One of the immediate moves the coalition could make, Ms Considine said, is to increase the threshold under which airports can qualify for supports - up to five million passengers for Shannon - which she believes is crucial for investment in the growth of the facility.
