EU red-tape has forced passengers through Shannon back to the 100ml liquid rule, reintroduced only because the airport is using a different type of tray for scanning at security.
The fact that Shannon has been left out in the cold in EU legislation on the carrying of liquids on planes emerged from a call to ring-fence funding for Shannon Airport from Transport Committee MEP Cynthia Nà Mhurchú.
Shannon Airport spent €2.5million in 2021 on advanced C3 X-ray scanners, which mean passengers should not need to remove electronics or liquids from their cabin bags when passing through security.
In July 2025, this technology was approved at EU level, which removed the old on-board 100ml liquid limit.
However, the approval was based on tests using only one type of security tray.
Airports like Shannon that use different types of trays are still waiting for their systems to be fully approved by regulators – a process Ms Nà Mhurchú described as “infuriating red tape for passengers at Shannon who find themselves rummaging in their bags for liquids – when they shouldn’t have to”.
The MEP said she is going to raise the funding issue with Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien.
Ms Nà Mhurchú cited a recent Airports Council International report warning that European airports face a €360billion infrastructure investment gap by 2040, as rising costs, decarbonisation requirements, and slower passenger growth are hurting mid-sized European airports.
She described it as “vital to the economic prospects of the wider South West, particularly Limerick and Clare, that there is ongoing investment in Shannon Airport”.
Shannon Airport was granted temporary access to the Regional Airports Programme during the Covid-19 pandemic, but is not currently eligible for ongoing exchequer funding.
Ms Nà Mhurchú has pointed out that a European Commission state-aid exemption allows capital funding for airports handling fewer than three million passengers until April 2027, giving the Government a limited window to invest significantly in Shannon while remaining within EU rules.
“The clock is ticking and action is needed now,” according to the Ireland South MEP.