Tag Archives: Shannon airport

Shannon Airport and Ireland West Airport have been shortlisted for a National Age Friendly Award. Both airports became the first airports in the world to be recognised as Age Friendly, endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), in June of this year. The airports have now jointly been shortlisted for the Age Friendly Transport Award which recognises the vital difference that availability to good quality, easily accessible, user friendly and reliable transport options can make to an older person. The awards, which will be held in Dromoland Castle, will be the first Age Friendly Awards held since 2019 due to the impact of the pandemic, and will be hosted by Clare County Council. CEO of The Shannon Airport Group, Mary Considine said: “Making the passengers journey as easy as possible is at the core of everything we do here at Shannon Airport. Our team worked hard to get Shannon Airport recognised as one of the first Age Friendly Airports in …

ILLEGAL drugs, with an estimated value of €50,000, were seized with the assistance of detector dog Harley at Shannon Airport. Revenue officers, seized approximately 2.5kgs of herbal cannabis at the airport as part of routine operations. The drugs were discovered in a parcel that originated in the United States and were destined for an address in County Galway. Investigations are ongoing. This seizure is part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the importation of illegal drugs. If businesses or members of the public have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on Confidential Phone Number 1800 295 295.

An investigation is expected to be launched into an incident at Shannon Airport early today when a helicopter suffered difficulties while landing. The incident occurred at around 6.20am as the Eurocopter EC155B was about to land at a small aircraft park at the airport. It’s understood the helicopter landed heavily but the pilot managed to maintain control of his aircraft and keep it upright. It’s believed the pilot had been cleared to land on a taxiway from where he would then taxi to the light aircraft park. As the helicopter was setting down on the taxiway the pilot experienced difficulties and the aircraft appeared to land heavily. The incident occurred about 100 metres from the airport fire station so crews were able to respond very quickly. Airport crash crews mobilised the short distance to the scene and found that pilot was uninjured. It’s not yet clear whether the helicopter was carrying passengers at the time. Operations at Shannon Airport were …

The first passengers to fly from Shannon to Paris Orly on the new Vueling service today were treated to a taste of France at the departure gate area before they boarded. Freshly made crêpes by a French chef were served in celebration of the new service, along with a Parisian-themed cake to celebrate the launch of the twice weekly service which will operate on Mondays and Fridays from today.   There was an air of excitement at the departures gate for passengers bound for Orly Airport, as the first flight to Paris took off for the city of lights.   Shannon’s new carrier Vueling is part of the IAG group that owns Aer Lingus. Orly Airport is the nearest airport to the centre of Paris, just 13km from the city. It is the second largest airport in France and provides onward connections to major European cities and Middle Eastern countries.  Minister of State for Transport, Hildegarde Naughton TD said: “I am delighted to be …

THE man who for years flew the world’s largest aircraft paid a special visit to an exhibition in Shannon Airport this week. Captain Dmytro Antonov, Chief pilot for Antonov Airlines, who shares the same name as the famous Ukrainian aircraft company, spent time visiting the world’s largest collection of diecast model planes after recently flying into Shannon on the Antonov AN 124.   His reason was a poignant one – to view a rare scale model of the largest plane ever built – the Antonov AN-225, an aircraft that Dmytro himself captained for many years.   In October 2021, the AN-225, known as the ‘Mriya’, the Ukrainian word for dream, touched down at Shannon Airport for the last time before it was destroyed at Hostomel Airfield, outside of Kyiv, during the conflict in February of this year.  The 1– 200 scale model, which is one of only a few models of its kind in the world, is made from carbon …

SHANNON has nine new Airport Screening Unit officers, who received their official certificates after completing an intense training course in airport security.   The new officers have undergone training, which included the operation of the airport’s multimillion euro state-of-the-art 3D x-ray screening system. The high-tech system has in-built explosive detection software, which eliminates the need for passengers to separate liquids and electronics from their cabin bags. Shannon is the first state airport to introduce this new technology which halves the time spent going through screening.   Since March this year, the airport has recruited a total of 19 ASU officers to add to its existing team. The new recruits hail from various parts of Clare as well as from  Galway, Lithuania, Poland, and as far away as Bangladesh and New Zealand.   Welcoming the latest nine recruits to the team, Shannon Airport’s Head of Security John Francis said, “I would like to congratulate our latest group of newly trained ASU officers, and thank …

IN 2019 there was some criticism of Shannon Group after the Irish Open in Lahinch, with claims it had missed an opportunity to market Shannon Airport to an international audience. If that was a mistake it’s not going to be repeated this year, as on Tuesday it announced a partnership with the Women’s Irish Open, which is being played at Dromoland from September 22-25. It will be the first time for a Ladies European Tour event to be played in Ireland since 2012. The competition will see 126 of the best professionals on the Ladies European Tour and leading Irish Amateurs take to the 18-hole Championship Course, including selected star players from the LPGA Money List. Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine said, “We are delighted to become an official partner of the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, which is being held on our doorstep, at the acclaimed Dromoland Castle, providing an opportunity to highlight the fantastic golfing talent we have here …

THREE years ago the arrival of Donald Trump saw one of the most extensive security operations in Clare’s history, and he is due to visit his property in Doonbeg again this month. In 2019 Gardai from around the country spent a few days in Clare for the visit, but sources this week say that the operation this time will be far less significant. Last week it was said that Garda preparations on the ground around Shannon Airport had not begun, as full details of the Trump visit were not available. However, local Gardai expect that the vast majority of the Gardai involved in security this time will be drawn from the Clare division, with perhaps a small bit of assistance from neighbouring areas. Even if it were required, Gardai say that bringing in members of the force from other parts of the country would be far more difficult now, with many hotels in the region already fully occupied due to …