THREE NEW AIRBRIDGES are to be installed at Shannon Airport at a cost of €1.8m.

Shannon Group’s latest investment is part of a suite of airport enhancement projects which are to total close to €10m.

Phase one of the airbridge investment plan includes the installation of three 60 tonne airbridges which will see the airport’s six airbridges replaced over the next three years. Airbridges are used to board passengers directly from the airport terminal building on to aircraft without exposing passengers and crew to the elements.

It took over two days to install the first of the three airbridges, this was completed at Shannon Airport in recent days using multiple cranes to fit it to the terminal building. The airbridge manufactured by CIMC-Tiana Airport Support in China is capable of accommodating over 22 types of large aircraft, excluding some smaller regional jets, it arrived in Shannon after a long journey halfway across the globe from Shenzhen.

A further two airbridges will be replaced later this year, and in early 2023, with plans to replace the remaining three airbridges during phase two of the project at a later stage.

Projects completed with support from the Department of Transport under the Regional Airports Programme at Shannon Airport over the past year include a €2.5 million state-of-the-art security screening system which is halving the dwell time for passengers through security and eliminating the need to remove liquids and electronics, and €5.3 million on airfield rehabilitation works.

CEO of Shannon Group, Mary Considine said the investment is part of “future proofing the airport infrastructure”. She stated, “this latest airbridge programme forms part of our investment strategy across the Shannon Airport campus. We are extremely grateful for the funding support from the Department of Transport, under the Regional Airports Programme, which has enabled us to undertake this work”.