Tag Archives: Shannon airport

Two anti-war protestors have been found guilty of interfering with the proper use of Shannon Airport by going onto the main runway last September. Margaretta Darcy aged 80 of 10 St Brigid’s Place, Woodquay, Galway and Niall Farrell aged 60 of Ballynacloghy, Maree, County Galway pleaded not guilty to a single charge of interfering with the proper use of Shannon Airport on September 1, 2013 contrary to the Air Navigation Transport Act 1950. The trial opened at Ennis District Court before Judge Patrick Durcan on Tuesday where evidence was heard from Independent Deputy Clare Daly TD, Irish Times security analyst Tom Clonan, Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairéad Maguire, University of Limerick lecturer John Lannon, peace activist Ed Horgan, airport police officers, Shannon airport officials and gardaí. During the hearing evidence was given that the two defendants were found to be on the main runway of Shannon Airport on the date in question, wearing orange boiler suits and carrying placards stating …

The first of the annual airlift of children for the  Chernobyl Children International (CCI) touched down in Shannon Airport  on Sunday evening. The children, who come from impoverished backgrounds, institutions and foster homes in the heart of the contaminated Chernl zone will be hosted by Irish families throughout 17 counties in Ireland as part of CCI’s Summer Rest & Recuperation Programme. Despite these challenging times, Irish volunteer host families continue to raise funds locally throughout Ireland to support the children and ensure they benefit from a cleaner environment. Adi Roche, Voluntary CEO, CCI, said, “Despite the difficult economic circumstances many families find themselves in Ireland, our volunteers have opened their hearts and their homes this summer to children who so desperately need our help. “While the Chernobyl accident happened almost 30 years ago the consequences last forever. My heartfelt gratitude to the volunteers who offer hope to live to the children who the world has largely forgotten.” During their stay …

Shannonwatch has this Thursday called on the Government to explain why information received by the gardaí about rendition planes at Shannon Airport was not followed up on. In a submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions they said that over 100 complaints and requests to search suspect aircraft had been made between 2003 and 2013, none of which were properly addressed. They also reiterated their calls for an end to the US military use of Shannon, and for full disclosure of all agreements made with the US authorities in relation to this use. Shannonwatch made a number of recommendations to the parliamentary committee, including that the Government should establish an independent and impartial inquiry into the use of Shannon in the CIA’s illegal renditions programme. “This inquiry should examine the reasons for the failure to inspect suspect rendition aircraft. And the outcome of the inquiry should be made public” said John Lannon, who was part …

Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Stobart Air, announced this Wednesday the addition of over 2,000 seats to Scotland to facilitate golf fans for the Ryder Cup in September. The airline has added 15 extra flights to Edinburgh from Shannon, Cork and  Dublin for Ryder Cup week, September 22 to 29. Shannon-based passengers can avail of an extra seven return flights which amounts to an extra 1,008 seats, double the normal capacity. The airline has seen a huge demand from US-based passengers. Over a thousand passengers flying into Dublin are connecting to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen on the week of the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup takes place at Gleneagles, Scotland on Friday, September 26  and will conclude on Sunday, 28. The Gleneagles Golf Resort is about a 55 minute drive from Edinburgh Airport.

Shannon Airport is set to make history again on Friday, July 4, when up to 1,200  runners line up for the first ever night-run on an Irish airport runway, in an event to raise fund for the Samaritans. Teaming up with Bank of Ireland the Runway Night Run will take place at 11pm when participants set off on the 5km run along what is one of Europe’s longest runways. The Samaritans is a designated Shannon Airport charity and the initiative has been boosted by the support of Bank of Ireland as lead sponsors. Lions, Irish and Munster rugby legend Keith Wood has also come on board as an ambassador for the event and will lead out the runners, limited to 1,200 people, on one of the most novel courses ever in Ireland for an organised run. Neil Pakey, Shanon Airport chief executive,said,” “There are runway runs at a small number of airports across the world every year, but this will certainly …

Ryanair’s announcement this Wednesday that it is to add five routes onto its winter schedule at Shannon has been welcomed as another significant boost for the airport. Shannon Airport’s  winter schedule, which starts at the end of October, will see Ryanair retain its new Paris, Berlin, Fuerteventura, Warsaw and Krakow routes, all of which commenced in April. In all, Ryanair will operate 10 routes this winter, five more than last year. The other routes operated by the airline across the winter schedule will be Gatwick, Lanzarote, Liverpool, Stansted and Wroclaw. Shannon Airport CEO, Neil Pakey said, “This is a very important commitment by Ryanair to its Shannon schedule. We are already experiencing a significant upswing in summer passenger numbers thanks to the airline’s nine new routes, which started at the beginning of April. “A major objective of ours after securing those new summer services was to bolster the winter season and this is a significant move in that regard.” Also welcoming …

CLARE is set to reap the benefits from Shannon Airport’s enhanced 2014 summer season schedule, with research on passenger destinations from last year illustrating the airport’s influence on visitor numbers to the county. Shannon Airport has nine new services this year on European destinations – Ryanair with Munich, Paris, Faro, Warsaw, Krakow, Nice, Poitiers, Berlin, Fuerteventura and Aer Lingus Regional with Bristol – alone, many with very strong markets for inbound tourism. Critically also, following the growth of transatlantic services last year, US frequencies have also dramatically increased this year, bringing greater numbers again of US tourists, who on average spend 60% more than any others, into Clare. The last two weeks alone saw the resumption of United Airline’s Chicago service (daily from June), which on the back of its success last summer will have 88% additional capacity this year.  The past fortnight also saw Delta Airlines back with its daily JFK New York service, US Airways return with its …

Shannon Airport staff got on their bikes at the weekend to undertake a gruelling 175km charity cycle. The cyclists braved the worst of the May weather, as driving wind and rain throughout the 10-hour cycle added to the challenging circuit. In all, they raised €14,000 for the neonatal unit at the Regional Maternity Hospital, the Samaritans and the Clare branch of the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society of Ireland. The group set off at 8am from King John’s Castle, Limerick, on Saturday, for a route that took them all the way to the Cliffs of Moher, before concluding at the airport. Speaking after the cycle, Shannon Airport’s operations director, Niall Maloney, said the effort was more than worth it. “It was a tough cycle for all involved, not least a number of people who are new enough to the sport, so they deserve great credit as we had a very tough route and very challenging weather. “We raised around €14,000 for …