New Airbridges for Shannon as Busy Weekend Approaches
The Shannon Group has announced the installation of three new airbridges at Shannon Airport at a cost of €1.8 million. The latest investment is part of a suite of airport enhancement projects by Shannon Group totalling almost €10 million. The installation of three 60 tonne airbridges forms phase one of the airbridge investment plan, which will see the airport’s six airbridges replaced over the next three years. The first of the three airbridges has just been installed at the airport and took over two days, using multiple cranes to fit it to the terminal building. Over the past 12 months, the Shannon Group has been busy upgrading the airport experience and enhancing infrastructure. Projects completed with support from the Department of Transport under the Regional Airports Programme, include a €2.5 million state-of-the-art security screening system which is halving the dwell time for passengers through security and eliminating the need to remove liquids and electronics, and €5.3 million on airfield rehabilitation works. The newly installed airbridge, manufactured by CIMC-Tianda Airport Support in China, arrived at Shannon Airport after a long journey from Shenzhen. A further two airbridges will be replaced later this year, and in early 2023, with plans to replace the remaining three airbridges during phase two of the project at a later stage.
Commenting on the new works, the CEO of the Shannon Group, Mary Considine said, “Shannon Group is focussed on future proofing the airport infrastructure, and this latest airbridge programme forms part of our investment strategy across the Shannon Airport campus. We are extremely grateful for the funding support from the Department of Transport, under the Regional Airports Programme, which has enabled us to undertake this work.”
Shannon Airport is expecting almost 40,000 people to travel through Shannon Airport this August Bank Holiday weekend as the airport is set to enjoy a bounce back. This is 87 % of passenger numbers for the same period in 2019. The airport’s Summer 2022 schedule offers 27 destinations in 11 countries, with 108 weekly frequencies to the US, UK and Europe.
Commenting on the weekend ahead, the Shannon Airport’s Operations and Commercial Director, Niall Maloney said: “We are delighted to welcome passengers through the airport this weekend and can see the demand out there for those well-deserved breaks. This is the largest number of passengers for this period in three years. We have worked hard to bring these services to our passengers and are focused on rebuilding and broadening the options available to them. In addition, we have worked with the other service providers at the airport to ensure that the journey through the airport is as easy and hassle free as possible. Facilities such as our US Preclearance, the airport sensory room, along with the short distance from our car parks to the terminal building, compliments our latest investment in high tech security screening and all add to making the journey easier.”
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