Tag Archives: Shannon airport

THOUSANDS of people have come from different parts of the country to Shannon Airport today to see the Antonov 225, the world’s largest aircraft. The plane arrived shortly before 3am from Bangor International Airport and will leave again at around 10pm. It’s wing span is greater than the width of the pitch at Croke Park and from nose to tail it is one and a half times the length of an Olympic Swimming Pool. It stands alone as the largest and most powerful jet the world has ever seen. Shannon has one of the longest runways in Europe and it is the only Irish airport the Antonov 225 has ever landed at. Niall Moloney, Shannon Airport Operations Director said the aircraft never fails to amaze. “When you see it on the taxiway here and can put its size into perspective, it’s almost unbelievable that it can get up into the skies, let alone be as graceful when it’s up there,” …

AN 87 year old woman who was arrested following the diversion of a flight from Frankfurt to Toronto has been released from Garda care. It is understood that she spent a portion of last night at a local hotel and she is set to leave Ireland at some point today. Gardai don’t expect there will be any further action taken in relation to the matter. After having received reports of a disruptive passenger Gardai were on hand when the Air Canada flight on which she was travelling touched down at Shannon at around 8.20pm on Friday evening.  

AN international investigation has begun following a massive cocaine seizure at Shannon Airport on Easter Sunday on an aircraft that had come from the US. As a result of routine profiling, officers from Revenue’s Customs Service seized 3.4kgs of cocaine, valued at around €240,000 at the airport. Their detection dog, Ollie, who has had a huge amount of success in tracking drugs over the last few years, was again involved. The drugs had been concealed behind a panel in the aircraft cabin.

Shannon Airport is putting in place a collection of memorabilia for the public to view while waiting for flight departures. Located in the transit lounge, near the Sheridan Food Bar, the collection is one of the initiatives to mark the 70th anniversary later this year of the first commercial flight to land at Shannon. It will be the first step towards developing a wider celebration of Ireland’s most historic airport. Among the items in the collection, which is already underway and open for viewing, will be various guest visitors’ books signed by global leaders and other VIPs that flew in and out of Shannon over the decades. It will also include an array of model aircraft, including those from the early days of commercial aviation when Shannon was the first European gateway to the US. The collection will also include photographs and video footage taken of some of the world’s most famous people over the last century as they flew …

There is good news for Shannon Airport this week with the announcement that Stobart Air is to recommence services to Birmingham from June 18. Shannon Group plc chief commercial officer, Andrew Murphy, in welcoming what he described as “a positive development”, said that the decision by Stobart to return to Shannon is further validation of the market support for services to and from the airport. “We are very pleased to welcome back Stobart Air on this route. This is testament to the demand for services between Shannon and Birmingham and we look forward to working with Stobart and ensuring passengers flying to and from Shannon on this route get the best possible airport experience. “This adds another route to our summer schedule for 2015, delivering an additional 45,000 seats into the bargain. Birmingham has a catchment of 20 million people living within 90 minutes travel time, more than any other UK airport, and this opens up considerable opportunities to grow …

Aer Lingus’ decision to cancel flights between Shannon and Boston between March 29 and April 8, is not going down well in the county. In particular, reports that the Shannon service is being temporarily sacrificed to free up an aircraft to operate a Dublin-US service have not been met with a warm welcome in the Mid West. In a statement, the airline said the flight on April 2 is not affected but other services will not operate. “We are currently communicating directly with customers impacted by the cancellations. We have made a number of alternative travel options available to impacted customers, including alternative routings or alternative dates of travel. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and are doing all possible to minimise the disruption to customer’s travel plans”. Asked if facilitating Dublin services was in fact the reason for the Shannon cancellation, an Aer Lingus spokesperson said, “We have less long-haul aircraft available than are required to meet our operational …

TDs Mick Wallace and Clare Daly addressed Ennis District Court at some length today, claiming that official failures had left them with no option but to enter restricted areas of Shannon airport without permission. [doptg id=”49″] They said they had done so as the powers that be refused to address their complaints about the US military aircraft use of Shannon and put the onus on those seeking checks on military aircraft to provide evidence. Today was the second day of the hearing and the matter has now been adjourned until April 15. The first witness today was John Lannon of peace group Shannonwatch. Mr Lannon is a lecturer in UL, and holds expertise in human rights. He said that while he didn’t know precisely how many times specific concerns about the US use of Shannon have been expressed to gardaí, it is “well over 100”. Mr Lannon added that the Garda response had been “to essentially do nothing”. It was …

The decision by Aer Lingus to suspend Shannon Airport’s only year round route to Boston over the Easter holiday period has been deplored by Clare TD Timmy Dooley. He said that the service cutback will have a negative impact on the hospitality sector across the West of Ireland. Deputy Dooley made the comments after Aer Lingus confirmed the linkwould be temporarily suspended due to operational reasons. Deputy Dooley said,“The announcement by Aer Lingus that it is cutting its only year round route to Boston during the Easter holiday period is alarming. The cancelling of flights between March 29 and April 8 will have a negative impact on the tourism industry across the west of Ireland. “Easter is traditionally a busy time of year for the hospitality sector and this service cutback will undoubtedly lead to a loss of business in the region. The disruption caused to tourists will also damage the image of Shannon and the west of Ireland for years to …