Tag Archives: Shannon airport

SHANNON Airport is in major growth mode this week, as nine new routes commence in five days, delivering a  boost for tourism and business interests. Less than 15 months after the airport was made independent,  Shannon will enjoy its biggest week in almost a decade in terms of new route start-ups, as Ryanair launches new services, to Munich, Paris, Faro, Warsaw, Krakow, Nice, Poitiers, Berlin, Fuerteventura, while Aer Lingus Regional kicks-off a new Bristol service. The 2014 summer season, which officially begins in April, will see 16 service enhancements at Shannon, including the nine new routes.  Among the enhanced services is the now year-round Aer Lingus New York service, which began on Sunday.  This will be a six times weekly service and is the first time Aer Lingus will have operated year-round on New York since 2009. Aer Lingus also  started a new twice weekly Malaga service on Sunday, which will add to the significantly expanded European network to and from the airport this year. “This week is a turning point for Shannon. Not since 2005 has Shannon had a week like this in terms of new …

Owen Ryan SHANNON Airport, as well as Dublin and Cork airports, narrowly avoided closing last week after the courts granted an injunction preventing industrial action by SIPTU members. In the aftermath of that decision, Aer Lingus has announced it will be taking legal action against the trade union and its organiser, Dermot O’Loughlin, alleging that it lost millions due to the threat of strike. A statement from the airline said, “SIPTU’s decision on March 12 to stand down its work stoppage planned for March 14 was too little too late. The damage had already been done. The decision came less than 36 hours before the stoppage was due to commence. The cloud of uncertainty created by the strike has damaged Aer Lingus business and disrupted thousands of our customers. “The changes made to our flight schedule, to circumvent the planned strike, could not be undone at such short notice. Any further changes to the revised schedule would only have caused …

TO add to the St Patrick’s Day Festivities, Shannon Airport went green. For a second year in a row the airport terminal building was illuminated in green, this year from Friday last  until Tuesday. “By greening our terminal building we wanted to create a sense of occasion for the St Patrick’s Day festivities. We are delighted to contribute to the national and international greening campaign which saw iconic landmarks all over the world, including the London Eye, Sydney Opera House and the Empire State Building, bathed in green. We wanted to ensure that visitors to our country during this special period had a great and memorable experience,” said Niall Maloney, airport operations director.

A FRENCH national, originally from Cambodia, travelling on board an Air Transat flight, which diverted to Shannon Airport, had threatened to “blow the plane by opening the doors”, Ennis District Court heard. Mr Som Chanh (55)  used the winnings of €945 from a Euromillions draw to purchase his ticket so he could meet his family for the first time in more than 30 years. Mr Som Chanh, with an address of 2 Place Des Feders 93160 Noisy Le Grand, Paris, was on board a Paris to Montreal flight, which was diverted to Shannon Airport on Monday due to an “air rage” incident. His solicitor Stiofan Fitzpatrick told the court his client had survived the Cambodian war, sought refuge in France in 1977  and had recently learned that his mother was alive and living in Montreal. Chanh was given the benefit of the probation act after pleading  guilty to charges of engaging in behaviour likely to cause serious offence or annoyance …

CLARE  is ideally placed to succeed in an entry for the European Entrepreneurial Region Award according to MEP Sean Kelly, who has raised the matter in the European Parliament.  High profile tourism attractions such as the Burren and Cliffs of Moher could gain benefit from such an award, he noted. Speaking in the Parliament, the Fine Gael MEP said Clare would be a worthy recipient of the award which is designed to recognise regions that facilitate entrepreneurialism through forward thinking and sustainable governance. “Kerry is the county I come from and it received the European Entrepreneurial Region Award in 2011. Clare is another county, which could benefit hugely from such an award. Clare is home to some of the finest tourist attractions in the world – the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren. And, of course, there is Shannon Airport and the aerospace sector, which have the potential to generate jobs,” he said. Mr Kelly said the new EU COSME programme could …

By Owen Ryan SHANNON Airport has launched a tender process to secure a partner to operate its historic travel retail outlet. The Shannon Group has also announced that it will rename its store Shannon Duty Free, the original name for the travel retail offering at Shannon, which was the global birthplace of duty free. It will happen when the current service agreement for the space, which has been known as The Loop for the last few years, winds up in June. The shop is currently operated by Shannon Airport Authority, under a transitional agreement with Aer Rianta International, following Shannon’s separation from the State Airport’s group at the start of 2013. However Shannon Group is now seeking a joint venture partner for the travel retail business and it formally advertised on the Moodies Report, the information website for the global travel retail sector. Announcing the decision to seek a joint venture, Shannon Group CEO Neil Pakey said; “In keeping with …

MUNSTER and Ireland rugby star Keith Earls was among the interested parties at  Shannon Airport terminal this week,  as more than 700 young people from around the country gathered to look at solutions for how people will live, work, play, learn, shop and travel in 2064. With support and mentoring from Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG) investors, the Irish dragons Barry O’Sullivan, Peter Casey, Gavin Duffy and Sean O’Sullivan as well as Dell’s Entrepreneur in Residence Ingrid Vanderveldt, the students competed for an array of prizes with the overall honours going to Limerick school Castletroy College. A number of Clare schools took part, including St Flannan’s. Luke Lawlor was one of the  students present from the Ennis school and he said his group were looking at new possibilities for accommodation. “We have an idea for automated housing, where you have a central AI in your house that does all your cooking and cleaning, if you’re away on holidays it’d look …

CLARE sports tourism interests can learn how they can get a slice of the €450bn global  sport tourism industry in a major think-tank with international experts set for Limerick next May. The inaugural European Sport Tourism Summit, which will take place at Thomond Park Stadium on Thursday May 15, will also deliver recommendations that will be presented to Government regarding how Ireland can increase its share of the fastest growing sector in the global travel industry. Organised by W2 Consulting, the Shannon Airport sponsored event, will be attended by over 400 delegates drawn from local authorities, sports bodies, federations, clubs, charity organisations and communities here and abroad. Tourism facts: 35% of domestic tourism in Ireland is attributable to sport Over 30 different sports are participated in Ireland each year The Emerald Isle Classic American Football match at the Aviva Stadium in 2012 was worth an estimated €100m alone to the economy In the UK, the average football fan visiting for …