*Pictured with Santa Claus at Shannon Airport Arrivals are L-R Aung Marma, Airport Screening Unit, Katie Black, Assistant Brand Manager Shannon Airport, Julia Shortt, Airport Screening Unit, Mary Considine, CEO The Shannon Airport Group, and Niall Kearns, Airport Director. Photograph: Arthur Ellis.
CHRISTMAS celebrations were in full flow at Shannon Airport this week as it celebrated surpassing two million passengers for the first time since 2009.
Shannon Airport caps off its busiest year in fifteen years following a strong summer which saw the addition of 200,000 seats across select routes.
Passenger numbers at Dublin Airport are down 90,000 for the festive season due to the passenger cap but it will still welcome 1.4 million passengers over the Christmas period alone.
CEO of the Shannon Airport Group, Mary Considine stated, “We are delighted to announce that over 2 million passengers have travelled through Shannon Airport in 2024. It’s been 15 years since we last reached this milestone. It’s a testament to our dedicated team and our unwavering commitment to delivering seamless and memorable travel experiences. We look forward to continuing to drive growth and to provide world class services to our passengers in 2025”.
To commemorate this milestone, Shannon Airport is giving away a pair of return tickets to JFK New York. The competition will be launched on the airport’s Facebook and Instagram pages, with the winner announced just in time for Christmas.
Strategic route expansions and increased capacity have been credited with the increase in passenger numbers at Shannon. During the summer season, the airport added 200,000 seats across select routes and boosted frequencies on nine popular services, including Alicante, Faro, Malaga, and Lanzarote.
Growth continued for Shannon’s winter schedule with Ryanair adding 30,000 extra seats across five services. Shannon Airport offers 33 routes connecting 11 countries in the EU, UK, and US.
A key highlight of 2024 was the resumption of Delta Airlines’ New York/JFK daily seasonal service in May, meeting strong demand for direct flights between the West of Ireland and the United States.
Earlier this year, the airport introduced an innovative Mobile Passport Control app (MPC). MPC is a free mobile app, designed to streamline the traveller’s entry process into the United States by allowing them to complete part of the pre-clearance process prior to their arrival at the airport. This new technology, in addition to Shannon’s time-saving US Preclearance facility and combined EU/TSA checkpoint system, ensure an efficient and comfortable transatlantic travel experience for passengers.
While the airport’s hi-tech security screening technology ensures passengers experience less dwell time going through security, meaning they have more time to relax and browse the world’s first airport duty free.
Shannon Airport remains a global leader in accessibility. The airport’s dedication extends to age-friendly services, recognized as one of the world’s first Age Friendly airports by the World Health Organization, with features such as accessible parking, clear signage, and covered walkways to enhance the travel experience for older passengers.
The airport’s facilities offer support to the over half a million people in Ireland living with non-visible disabilities. Initiatives include, Europe’s first airport sensory room, Autism awareness programs, Participation in the global Hidden Disabilities Sunflower initiative and Award-Winning Customer Service.
Meanwhile, the advice for passengers at Dublin Airport continues to be to arrive two hours in advance of a short-haul flight and three hours in advance of a long-haul flight. The airport is expecting to welcome an average of 80,000 passengers every day between Wednesday, December 18 and Sunday, January 5. The busiest day in the run up to Christmas will be Friday, December 20, with Friday when around 93,000 passengers will move through the airport’s two terminals, December 27 set to be the busiest day post-Christmas when around 97,000 passengers are set to pass through.
