Shannon Airport recorded its busiest year since 2009 last year, with transatlantic passenger numbers increasing by 24% in 2023. 

The airport reported a growth in all markets last year, with a total of 748,000 passengers flying to and from destinations in continental Europe, a jump of 41% compared to 2022. Meanwhile, UK traffic increased by 31% to 838,000, while transatlantic traffic increased to 296,000. 

Shannon Airport launched half a dozen new routes last year, including Ryanair flights to and from Naples, Porto, Béziers, and Liverpool in addition to an Aer Lingus to Paris Charles De Gaulle. 

Meanwhile, United Airlines opened a new service to Chicago, taking the total number of transatlantic routes at the airport to four. 

Delta Airlines will additionally launch a daily seasonal route to New York JFK in May, further increasing the transatlantic routes operating from Shannon. 

An Oxford Economics report recently stated that Shannon Airport delivers a contribution of €4 billion to Ireland's GDP in addition to supporting more than 20,000 jobs. The airport also contributes €643 million in tax revenues, according to the report. 

Mary Considine, chief executive of the Shannon Airport Group, said the airport's inclusion in the Irish Government's Regional Airports Programme helped enormously as Shannon rebuilt after the Covid-19 pandemic. 

As part of the Regional Airports Programme, Knock, Shannon, Donegal, and Kerry Airports received aid from the state to upgrade security, safety, and facilities, including air traffic control, airport vehicles, and passenger airbridges linking aircraft with terminals. 

Considine has called for Shannon Airport's permanent inclusion in the Regional Airports Programme, stating that it would have a positive impact on the Irish economy. 

"Ultimately, Shannon Airport’s permanent inclusion in the Regional Airports Programme will deliver economic benefits for Ireland, aligning as it does with the Government’s own ambitions for ensuring balanced regional development," Considine said in a statement. 

"We have been lobbying hard for this for some time and continue to do so as we await the outcome of the Government’s Mid-Term Review of the Programme due shortly." 

Cork Airport has not been included in the Regional Airports Programme, with passenger numbers jumping above 2.2 million per year.