Shannon Airport sees 'plenty of hope' for the future

SHANNON Airport saw an 8% increase in passengers numbers in 2021 with the Shannon Group CEO saying she is optimistic for the future. 

Almost 380,000 people used Shannon Airport in 2021, compared to just over 352,000 in 2020. This is however still down 78% on 2019, the last full year of operation before the pandemic.

The airport saw a strong recovery in its European and UK services in 2021 with European passenger numbers recovering to 65% of 2019 levels, and the UK market to 43% of 2019 levels. 

Commenting as the Group releases its end of year results, Mary Considine, CEO of Shannon Group said: “Our team at Shannon Group have been unwavering in our focus on recovery and rebuilding to ensure a successful future for our employees, the people and businesses in our region who rely on our Shannon Airport services for their livelihoods.

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"Although it has been another challenging year, having come through the worst of the Pandemic, we are confident that the foundations for recovery are in place.

“With the welcome announcement of the lifting of restrictions, there is real optimism in the air.

"While it will still take time for the unwinding of Covid restrictions to filter down into the aviation sector, it is a really positive development for industries devastated by the pandemic."

Since its establishment in 2014, Shannon Group has invested over €145 million enhancing its airport facilities and providing property solutions at its campus for FDI and indigenous companies, over €60 million of which happened between 2019 and 2021. 

Ms Considine continued: “This summer we will operate services to 25 destinations with 107 planned weekly frequencies.

"The return of Transatlantic services to Boston, New York (JFK) and Newark from Shannon in March, combined with our strong European summer flight schedule and the return to full strength of our Heathrow services, are reasons to be optimistic."

“While 2022 will still be a challenging year, and there is still a considerable journey ahead of us, there are positive signs of recovery which give us confidence,” Ms Considine concluded.