THE CEO of the Shannon Group has confirmed the company is seeing signs of recovery as the airport gears up for a busy summer – it’s first since 2019.

Commenting following the publication of the Shannon Group’s annual report for 2021, Mary Considine (pictured) said the Group has been putting the necessary steps in place to accelerate the next phase of its investment at its Shannon Campus with €30 million already planned for projects starting in 2022.

The report highlights the positivity at the Airport since the resumption of a number of key services.

“After two hard years, we are finally seeing the clouds part as we work our way through the post-pandemic era. Central to this has been the restoration of our year-round London Heathrow service -providing 20 flights per week, a range of European air services, and flights to the United States.  In March, we welcomed the return of our Aer Lingus daily year-round services to New York (JFK) and Boston, along with United Airlines’ daily seasonal service to Newark,” said Ms Considine.

“We are the only airport on the west coast of Ireland offering transatlantic services, as well as providing full US pre-clearance to commercial passengers and private jets. We are pleased that we have secured services to 26 destinations in 11 countries from Shannon for our passengers this summer, with more Ryanair services this year compared to 2019,” she added.

Passenger numbers at Shannon Airport increased by 8% in 2021, with almost 380,000 passengers using the airport last year, compared to just over 352,000 in 2020. However, this is still down 78% on 2019 passenger numbers.

“While there is still a significant journey ahead of us, and full recovery is some way off yet, our business strategy, which initially focused on survival, is now firmly in the recovery and rebuilding phase,” says Ms Considine.

According to its annual report, the Shannon Group delivered an improved financial performance in 2021, with an increase of 18% in turnover to €40.5 million compared to €34.3 million in 2020

“We are grateful for the Government supports we received during 2021, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme, the waiver of commercial rates and funding received under the COVID-19 Regional State Airports Programme which were very important in supporting our business through the worst impacts of the pandemic,” noted Ms Considine.

See the rest of this good news item in the Limerick Leader.

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