SHANNON Airport Group CEO Mary Considine declined to meet with local councillors to discuss the uncertainty around the transfer of Shannon Heritage sites (including Bunratty Castle and Folk Park) to Clare County Council. In advance of Tuesday’s meeting of Shannon Municipal District independent Gerry Flynn had put forward a motion stating, “I am calling on Shannon Municipal District to contact the CEO of Shannon Airport Mary Considine, and arrange an urgent special meeting with elected members to discuss the serious issues facing employees of the Shannon Heritage sites that are located in our district. “The current situation and lack of engagement and transparency is bringing uncertainty and having a negative impact on the lives of employees and their families.” However the invitation had been rejected prior to Tuesday’s regular November meeting of the Municipal District, and Senior Executive Engineer Anne Griffin provided a written summary of the reasons given. “Commercially sensitive discussions are ongoing between Shannon Group and Clare County …
Read More »One million+ passengers used Shannon in year to September
PASSENGER numbers at Shannon Airport exceeded one million for the first nine months of the year, indicating the strength of its recovery since the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. Up to the end of September of this year 1,050,916 passengers had come through Shannon Airport. This represents 82.4% of the amount it carried in the first nine months of 2019, the last full year before Covid-19 shut down aviation across the world. The percentage would have been even higher had Covid not still been a factor in the early part of 2022. Shannon saw less than half the number of passengers in January 2022 that it did in January 2019, which was a relatively worse performance than in any of the eight months since. In addition, February was the second worst month by comparison with 2019. Shannon Airport Group CEO Mary Considine said it has been a positive year and that routes to Europe and the US have performed very well, …
Read More »Ryanair announces new Shannon routes as passenger numbers set to soar
SHANNON Airport has rebounded exceptionally well from the pandemic, and there was more good news on Thursday as Ryanair announced it will base three aircraft there for its summer 2023 season, while it is adding two new destinations, Béziers in France and Newcastle. Projections are that the airline will bring 1.3 million passengers to and from Shannon next year, which would be the highest number since the Celtic Tiger years, when Shannon’s traffic hit record heights. In total Ryanair will have 180 flights per week from Shannon during next year’s summer season, serving 24 destinations, a 60% increase on pre-pandemic numbers. Shannon Airport Group CEO Mary Considine said that Thursday’s news is significant, particularly the decision to base another aircraft at Shannon. ✈️ ROUTE NEWS ✈️ Fly direct to Newcastle & Beziers with @Ryanair from March 2023! We're delighted to welcome today's announcement by @Ryanair who have launched a seat sale to celebrate! Fares from €24.99 🎉 Read more: https://t.co/Y6DZ0C61yQ#shannonairport …
Read More »Shannon Airport nominated for national age friendly award
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 …
Read More »Airport can’t head off high air fares, councillors told
VERY high levels of demand are behind the high prices currently being charged for certain flights from Shannon Airport, its CEO Mary Considine told Clare county councillors. Independent councillor Michael Begley and Fianna Fáil’s Pat Hayes both questioned prices currently being charged, and in response Ms Considine said that with strong sales, airlines are charging more for the few remaining seats on flights. “We have 27 routes now if you include Paris, available from Shannon, at the moment the load factors are very high for the summer season. That is driving up price, that is the quandary. “If you have a flight with 95% load factor already, only 5% seat capacity available, the airline will manage their own yield and you’ll pay more for that.” She said that airlines rather than the airport set the prices. “Unfortunately that’s outside our control, that’s not washing our hands of it, the reality is that we are very competitive as an airport, we …
Read More »Things looking up for Shannon, but support still required
WHILE 2021 was more promising than 2020, it was still a very difficult year for Shannon Group, according to its newly published annual report. Writing in the report Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine stated that while there are some grounds for optimism, there are also threats present. “The Covid-19 pandemic continued to impact Shannon Group during 2021, contributing to another challenging year for the Group. “Throughout the year we focused on the recovery and rebuilding of our businesses, with positive developments in the second half of the year providing grounds for future optimism. “However, while air travel demand continues to recover, the Group is mindful of current geopolitical uncertainties and their potential influence on business performance during 2022.” While the Group’s financial performance did improve, she claimed that Shannon Airport will need State support for some time to come. “Shannon Group delivered an improved financial performance for 2021, with an increase of 18% in turnover to €40.5 million (2020: €34.3 …
Read More »€4.3m funding for Shannon Airport confirmed by minister
FUNDING of €4.3 million has been announced for Shannon Airport under the Regional Airports Programme 2022. Welcoming the allocation by Hildegarde Naughton TD, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine said the funding was very welcome as the airport continued its recovery. “The funding for Shannon Airport announced today by Minister Naughton will enable the airport to invest in vital infrastructure and rebuild in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ms Considine. “While we have made good strides in restoring air services at Shannon with 26 services to 11 destinations for summer 2022 secured, there is still a challenging few years ahead for the aviation sector. We are grateful for this Government support and will use it to continue to fund vital improvements to our airport infrastructure.” Positive news for @ShannonAirport of €4,347,750 Capital Allocation Funding announced by Min @1Hildegarde. Continued investment & promotion of the airport crucial for Clare & Mid West …
Read More »WATCH: CGI video offers glimpse of new €8m Shannon development
SHANNON Group has begun work on its latest commercial property development worth €8 million which will generate over 100 jobs during construction. It is on a multi-use industrial space spanning over 60,000 sq ft, located in the Free Zone. The project will take ten months to complete and will be constructed to international standards providing high energy performance from renewable sources, known as a Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB). The new building is designed for both FDI and Irish enterprises seeking high-end multi-functional space, and is suitable for manufacturing, industrial and R&D use. It can be leased as either one unit, three separate commercial units (20,000 sq ft each), or two units at 40,000 sq ft and 20,000 sq ft respectively. Limerick company Nautic Building Co Limited have been appointed as the main contractor. Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine said: “We have now started work on the next phase of our property development solution offerings, having completed major infrastructure upgrades …
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