For Shannon Airport to maintain its existing services and add extra slots, Clare TD Pat Breen says local people must support it when booking flights.

Over the June Bank Holiday weekend, Shannon Airport celebrated an increase in traffic with passenger numbers set to rise by almost 8% on last year. This follows on a 5% increase in passenger numbers recorded during the first three months of 2018.

Air Canada’s inaugural flight from Shannon to Toronto also took off at the weekend. There will be 150 weekly departures during the summer season, Minister of State for Trade, Business & Employment, EU Digital Single Market & Data Protection Pat Breen is impressed with the volume of flights which he is adamant must now be supported by the people of Clare and beyond.

“In order to sustain these flights however we need to take advantage of the offerings from the airport. Shannon Airport is now more accessible than ever to potential customers due to the completion of the motorway to Tuam, and is offering direct flights to some of the busiest airports in the world and some of the world’s greatest connecting hubs.

“It also offers ease of access, parking and value for money. This weekend I met a Clare couple travelling to Florida from Shannon via Toronto. Toronto like so many more airports accessible from Shannon is a great hub and offers an even greater variety of destinations with significant savings when accessed through Shannon,” he added.

Breen concluded, “The sky really is the limit this Summer when travelling via Shannon Airport, and I would encourage all potential holiday makers to consider using the airport this summer, irrespective of where in the country they live. The growing number of flights from Shannon Airport can only be sustained with support from domestic travellers.”