Airport expects 40% increase in French visitors

SHANNON Airport expects the number of French visitors to increase by up to 40% this year.

The projected increase is because French-based tour operator Go Voyages will be bringing more business through Shannon during the months of May to September. Its announcement comes after last week’s announcement of a new weekly Shannon-Rennes service to be operated from June 9 to September 1 by Aer Lingus Regional.
The weekly Go Voyages charter flights will arrive each Thursday from Paris, Nantes, Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse. There will also be some flights from Bordeaux, Bergerac, Clermont, Dijon, Metz and Strasbourg during the season.
Acting airport director Niall MacCarthy said it’s good news for Shannon.
“This is a welcome boost for Shannon Airport and, indeed, the tourism sector in the region. Bookings from France are already ahead of last year’s figures at this stage and we welcome this additional tourist traffic to our region. It is also good news for Irish travellers, as outbound flights are also for sale, either on a flight only basis or with a built-in holiday package, so this really strengthens our network of services to summer holiday destinations.”
Declan Power, aviation business development manager at Shannon, said the improved road network helps Shannon’s cause.
“Shannon’s status as the premier airport for access to the West of Ireland region is a key factor in tour operators choosing to fly here. The improved road network makes it easier for their customers to travel to Galway and Connemara or south to Cork and Kerry, as well as Limerick, Clare and Tipperary or further up into the Midlands. Having Aer Lingus Regional, through Aer Arann, come in with the new Rennes route is another significant boost for us from the French market and we are confident it’s a service that will do well.”
The sudden collapse of Hungarian airline Malev saw a stream of planes coming to Shannon last weekend.
Thirteen of the aircraft used by Malev arrived there on Friday, with another coming on Saturday. The aircraft in question are the property of American company International Lease Finance Corporation.
The planes were brought to Shannon because of the easy availability of maintenance, recovery and overhaul facilities there.
It’s understood that parking the planes at Shannon will not result in any significant income for the airport but that some local aeronautical companies will see benefits. “There will be a very small amount of revenue for the airport but it will be on an incremental basis and there will also be some revenue for local operators,” an airport spokesman said.
After 66 years in operation the Hungarian airline folded last week after being ordered to repay €130 million it had received in State aid between 2007 and 2010.
“Despite its best interests, the owner can no longer provide financial resources for the operation of the airline in the wake of the condemning decision of the European Commission,” an airline statement said.
Shannon had a number of unexpected arrivals on Sunday after wintry weather forced the closure of Heathrow.
Six transatlantic flights bound for Heathrow landed, having set out from Dallas, Atlanta, Denver, Washington, Miami and Houston. Four of the six flights managed to leave Shannon later on Sunday evening but approximately 400 passengers from the other two flights stayed in hotels in the Mid-West for the night.