SHANNON Airport has been Ireland’s fastest growing airport since 2022 with a €30million investment programme underway across the Shannon Airport Group and a major new US client secured for the Shannon Airport Business Park.
Following a year where the airport exceeded its passenger growth target to reach 2.1 million passengers, Mary Considine, CEO of the Shannon Airport Group, expressed strong confidence in the group’s future and confirmed that an ambitious investment programme of over €30m is underway.
“We exceeded our 2024 passenger growth target at Shannon Airport, welcoming over 2.1 million passengers, the highest number of passengers in 15 years and a seven per cent increase on 2023,” Ms Considine said.
“This strong growth milestone reflects the airport’s pivotal role in Ireland’s aviation sector, and success in 2024 was driven by a strong performance across our 33 routes to 11 countries with the addition of new routes and increased capacity.”
The airport saw over 200,000 additional seats on European, UK, and US destinations in 2024.
Continental European traffic rose by 16 per cent to 870,000; transatlantic passenger numbers grew by 12 per cent to 332,000; and UK traffic increased marginally to 839,000.
“Shannon Airport’s passenger growth soared by 44 per cent from 2022 to 2024, making it Ireland’s fastest-growing airport. We will continue to work on growing strategic connectivity for Ireland,” Ms Considine said.
Ryanair expanded its capacity at Shannon in 2024, celebrating 20 million passengers through the airport since 1987, and announced a new service to Madeira together with increased frequencies on eight routes, boosting capacity by 17 per cent for summer 2025.
In 2024, Shannon Airport again ranked first in the travel category for customer experience in the Ireland Customer Experience Insights (CXi) Report.
The airport also received accolades including the RED C Brand Reaction Index (BRII) Ireland 2024, the Aviation Customer Focus Achievement award, and the Placemaking Initiative of the Year award for its initiatives across the Shannon Airport Business Park.
The group recorded a solid financial performance in 2024, with turnover from continuing operations increasing by 7.6 per cent on the 2023 figure to €73.1 million, while the group reported an EBITDA of €18.3m. This strong operational performance is reflected in the an annual profit from continuing operations of €25.7 million, before tax and exceptional items.
The group invested over €8m in 2024, with a further investment of over €30m in infrastructure planned to support the achievement of its ambitious sustainability goals, enhanced customer experience offering, and regional economic growth.
Key projects underway include a €3m 1.2-megawatt solar PV farm and a €2.5m thermal wrap facelift of the terminal building which will help Shannon reach its goal of a 51 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, reaching net zero by 2050.
Customer-facing infrastructure will also see investment including an upgrade to the immigration and baggage hall areas; the extension of boarding gates and passenger areas; and 1,000 new carpark spaces.
Other investments are planned for the Shannon Airport Business Park, home to over 300 companies employing more than 10,000 people. Work will commence on two new multi-purpose manufacturing units totalling 103,000sq/ft, and a new 40,000sq/ft research and development facility, both of which will be completed in 2026.
