Strong Traffic Performance at Shannon in 2007

Shannon International Airport has today, Wednesday, January 9th, announced a record year for international terminal business growth in 2007, with almost 3.1 milllion passengers arriving and departing from Shannon to international destinations.
 
When domestic and transit traffic are added, Shannon achieved a total passenger throughput last year of 3.62 million. The 6% increase in international traffic was achieved despite the commencement of the Open Skies transition in November 2006, which saw the reduction in transatlantic traffic limited to just 4%. This was more than compensated for by a 10% growth in short-haul traffic.
 
Airport Director Martin Moroney said that in light of the many challenges in 2007, to have achieved another milestone in international passenger throughput was a major achievement for Shannon Airport. “We are satisfied with the 2007 performance in the context of both the ending of the dual gateway status for transatlantic services and the increasingly competitive aviation market in which we operate. We were particularly pleased that our transatlantic traffic was only slightly affected by the Open Skies transition and we look forward to continuing to meet this challenge in the year ahead,” said Mr Moroney.
 
“The ending of Ireland’s dual gateway status for transatlantic services resulted in a 50% decline in passengers who pass through Shannon while transiting between Dublin and the U.S. This has meant that overall traffic for 2007 was just on a par with the previous year. However, Shannon Airport has retained its position as the second-largest airport in the State in terms of passenger throughput and attracted more than twice the combined throughput of all the regional airports.”
 
Mr. Moroney stated the Open Skies agreement and the unexpected decision by Aer Lingus to discontinue its London Heathrow service were both major blows to Shannon’s future growth plans but, he said, Shannon Airport has responded vigorously to these challenges. “We have managed to curtail the potential losses in transatlantic traffic and have received commitments from U.S. carriers for continuation of services. We are also confident that Aer Lingus will have a successful future in Shannon on transatlantic routes. Furthermore, in securing the CityJet/Air France service to connect Shannon to its Paris CDG hub, we successfully and quickly restored global connectivity, which is critical for business activity in the West of Ireland.”
 
Mr. Moroney confirmed that the cost savings achieved during 2007 by the agreed restructuring progamme will be of major assistance as Shannon, in 2008, seeks to build on its growth over recent years despite what is an extremely competitive aviation marketplace. “While there are major challenges ahead, we are planning for further growth in 2008 and the reduced cost base will give us a more flexible and competitive edge in the future. Our staff has responded very positively to the restructuring of the organization and we thank them deeply for that. These cost savings will make way for significant investments in catering and retail facilities in the coming year.”
 
Mr. Moroney said that airport management will continue to focus on route development and attracting new carriers, such as achieved with CityJet/Air France. He also encouraged the tourism trade across the region and promotional agencies to exploit the substantial increases in passenger capacity delivered by Shannon Airport with its partner airlines.
 
“The tourism trade must seize this opportunity. They should redouble their efforts in targeting those markets our partner airlines are servicing, which, in addition to delivering valuable tourism business into the region, will ensure the ongoing success and sustainability of the Shannon services. In the meantime, Shannon Airport will continue to aggressively and innovatively pursue its objective of retaining existing services and securing additional services from new and existing markets.”
 
Ends

09 January 2008

Further information contact:
Eugene Pratt          
Shannon Airport    
Tel: +353 (0)61 712352     
Mobile: +353 (0)87 2453865