Tag Archives: Shannon airport

“IT’S very poignant that this photo is here, given that our family is living on both sides of the Atlantic, between America and Ireland, and we come through here often, and to think that Dad will be here to welcome us and send us off is very, very special and it means an awful lot.” These were the words of Brendan Grace’s daughter Amanda on Tuesday, as a photograph of the late and much-loved comedian was unveiled and put on the Wall of Fame at Shannon Airport, in the presence of many members of his family. Brendan was a long-time friend and supporter of Shannon Airport and he met with management earlier this year to organise adding his photograph to the gallery but illness prevented it being progressed at the time. However, at the wishes of his family following his sad loss in July, a 4ft x 4ft picture is now in place. “He was close to 50 years coming …

SHANNON Airport has now reopened following a fire on an Omni Boeing 767-300 aircraft this morning, which resulted in its runway being blocked for a number of hours. In a statement this afternoon, Shannon Group said, “Shannon Group has confirmed that thanks to the swift response of the Shannon Airport emergency services team, the airport reopened at 11.15am after the successful removal of a plane from the runway following an incident earlier this morning. As there has been flight disruption, intending passengers have been asked to contact their airlines. Updates are available on the airport social media channels. We would like to extend our thanks to the IAA (Shannon Tower Business Unit) and our airline partners for their support in the management of the incident.”

AN issue with an Omni Air International aircraft on Shannon’s runway has resulted in the suspension of all flights at Shannon this morning. On approach to Shannon the aircraft can be seen from the roadway, with a number of emergency vehicles around it. In a statement Omni Air International said, “We are investigating reports of an incident involving Omni Air International flight 531 at Shannon Airport, Ireland. The Omni Boeing 767-300 aircraft rejected takeoff and was safely evacuated. Initial reports indicate no serious injuries to passengers or crew. “Our primary concern at this time is for their safety. We are participating in the investigation of this incident and will release further information as it becomes available.” It is understood that there was a fire on the aircraft, which became apparent as it moved towards take off. Outbound flights to Tenerife and London have been impacted by the suspension of flights this morning, while three inbound transatlantic services are due by …

SHANNON Airport has announced this morning that all its flights have been temporarily suspended following an incident there. More information to follow as it becomes available.

WHOEVER was left in charge of the Dublin Airport Twitter account last week may have done Shannon an entirely unintended favour. Many thousands of people in Clare and indeed Limerick feel strongly about the success of the airport upon which the region’s economy depends and when Dublin Airport posted a ridiculous, self-regarding tweet about being the key gateway for the 2026 Ryder Cup in Adare, it really jarred. It has helped bring attention to the plight of our struggling airport and the fallout will show local politicians that they must take action to arrest its decline. The term fake news is derided because Donald Trump coined it and has aimed it at some of the most reputable media organisations in the world. Yet the depressing reality is that fake news is often widely believed nowadays, with ease of access to publication through social media and weak deterrents meaning that people are merrily spreading lies all around the world, every single …

ANNOYANCE around the Mid- West was very apparent online late last week, following two provocative tweets from Dublin Airport. The first tweet from the capital’s airport said, “We look forward to being the key gateway for overseas visitors attending #RyderCup 2026, which will take place @TheAdareManor in Limerick”. Claiming to be the key gateway was a cheeky comment from an airport 222km away from Adare, compared to just 43km from Shannon and it wasn’t long before people from Clare and Limerick were responding unfavourably to the display of Dublin arrogance. However, Dublin Airport wasn’t in conciliatory mode and quickly doubled down on the earlier tweet, in response to one man asking was Shannon not the key gateway for the event. “We’ll welcome more overseas visitors for the event, as we’re a much larger airport with much greater connectivity to Britain, the US and continental Europe. Overseas visitors using Dublin Airport go to all 32 counties on the island.” After this, …

LAST week saw the Government announce funding of almost €14 million for airports in Donegal, Knock, Kerry and Waterford, but not for Shannon. It is a situation that has been criticised by Shannon Chamber CEO Helen Downes, who says the Clare airport is now eligible for supports that others are getting. “If the Government is serious about its promise, in the National Planning Framework, to drive regional economies, it may be timely for them to broaden their support for airports that are vital catalysts for regional growth. “Shannon Airport suffers from a lack of support around capital expenditure projects and is in the process of investing €20 million in safety and security projects from its own resources.   “This funding would be better invested in securing new routes and services to feed the regional economy. “However, unlike other regional airports, who recently received Government subsidisation in the order of €14 million for capital expenditure works, Shannon receives no exchequer support …

SHANNON Group has acknowledged that its already disappointing passenger numbers will dip further in 2019. In a statement on Wednesday, low-cost airline Norwegian said it won’t run any services from Shannon for the rest of this year. “Due to the continued grounding of the Boeing 737 Max by the European aviation authorities, our flights to and from Cork and Shannon will be re-routed via Dublin for the remainder of the summer season. Cork is a seasonal route and the reduced availability of aircraft has led to the removal of Shannon services this winter.” Later on Wednesday, Shannon Group also released a statement, which said, “The worldwide grounding of the 737 Max aircraft is having a serious impact for Shannon passengers. “Proportionally, no other Irish airport has such a high level of activity operated by the 737 Max aircraft. At peak, this aircraft type would have operated 13 weekly flights from Shannon to North America. “We now estimate that the loss …