Pictured are Niall Kearns (right), Airport Director, Shannon Airport and John O’Leary, Capital & Engineering Projects Manager, Shannon Airport. Photograph: Arthur Ellis
A €3.1m upgrade of six airbridges at Shannon Airport has been completed.
Completion of the final phase of the Shannon Airport Group’s multi-million euro airbridge enhancement programme has resulted in the replacement of six airbridges at Shannon Airport.
Passengers will be able to board aircraft directly from the airport terminal building on the new airbridges without exposing them and airline crews to the elements that the West of Ireland international airport is noted for.
One airbridge was replaced between July 2022 and early 2023, with phase two of the project completed in recent weeks as the handover of the final five new airbridges took place.
All six airbridges are fully with the latest passenger and aircraft safety technology, and capable of accommodating over 22 types of large aircraft, excluding some smaller regional jets.
CIMC-Tianda Airport Support in China manufactured the airbridges, they are one of the largest global suppliers of Passenger Boarding Bridges. The bridges have a lifespan of at least twenty years.
Each bridge weighs 30 tonnes, with the installation of individual bridges taking approximately two weeks to complete. The combined weight of the six airbridges (180 tonnes) is the equivalent to 180,000 1kg bags of sugar.
The airbridge enhancement programme is part of a series of infrastructure upgrades completed by The Shannon Airport Group in recent years as the airport rebuilds its operations post-Covid. Projects completed with support from the Department of Transport under the Regional Airports Programme include Shannon’s €2.5 million hi-tech security screening system and a €5.3 million airfield rehabilitation project.
Commenting on the completion of the airbridge enhancement programme, Niall Kearns, Airport Director, Shannon Airport said, “we remain focused on future proofing our airport infrastructure in line with our commitment to ensuring the most efficient and seamless experience for our passengers. We are delighted to be heading into the busy summer travel season with six new airbridges in operation. We are very grateful for the funding support we have received from the Department of Transport, under the Regional Airports Programme, which made it possible for us to complete these significant upgrades”.
