Tag Archives: CEO Matthew Thomas

Santa remains top of the popularity polls with the very young as the great man’s annual Christmas flights at Shannon Airport have attracted 90,000 applications. Shannon Airport has received 45 times the number of requests for the 2,000 seats on the very special services to meet Santa in the sky on December 3 and 4 next, which is an increase of over 55% on the corresponding stage 12 months ago. Applications have been received from each one of the 32 counties and, indeed, from as far afield as the UK. The top ten counties in terms of applications include Clare, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Tipperary, accounting for over 60% of the applications. Said Matthew Thomas, CEO of Shannon Group, which operates Shannon Airport: “We are delighted at the incredible demand for these flights but can’t say we’re entirely surprised. Is there really a better draw than Santa! “Airports are a magical place at Christmas as they are where homecomings …

Santa’s busiest annual day in the region – short of December 25th itself – is already on the arrival and departure’s board at Shannon Airport, with confirmation this week that the Santa Flights are set to return next month. Saturday and Sunday, December 3 and 4, have been confirmed by the airport as the day it will put on what has become the biggest children’s treat in the region in the build up to Christmas Day. Now in its fourth year, this year’s Santa flights will see Shannon Airport treat over 2,000 in total, comprising children and guardians, to the magical moment in the sky when they get to meet with the big man himself on board a 737 flight some 15,000ft above sea level. This year again Shannon Airport will donate proceeds from the nominal €9.99 fee to its designated charities, which for 2016 are Galway’s Ábalta Special School for children with autism and complex needs and the Irish …

Shannon Airport’s global standing as a leading international airport in its class has been reinforced with its selection as winner of the World Routes Marketing Awards 2016 for airports under 4 million passengers. For the second time in three years the airport claimed the ‘Best Marketing of Airports’ award at an overnight event at the New Century Global Centre in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. Other shortlisted airports in the category were Halifax International, Aruba, Belfast City Airport and Cork Airport. The annual Routes Marketing Awards are widely regarded as the most valuable awards in the industry and Shannon’s second win in three years keeps up a remarkable record since the airport was separated in 2013. Both last year and in 2013 Shannon was ‘Highly Commended’ in the category, giving the airport four podium finishes in four successive years since it was separated. The global awards are voted on exclusively by airlines and recognise the marketing and promotional activities of airports …