Shannon Airport

Shannon Airport is the third busiest airport in Ireland with 3.2 million people travelling through the airport in 2005. Situated just west of Limerick and close to Shannon, the Airport and its knock on services is a major source of employment for the purposely built town of Shannon. The town of Shannon is one of only two towns in Ireland that are purposely built.

The area of Shannon has long been associated with air travel in Ireland. During the 1930s much of the Trans Atlantic air travel was dominated by Flying Boats. The terminal for this form of air travel was at Foynes on the South Side of the River Shannon. In 1936 the Irish Government decided to build a land based air field for Trans Atlantic air travel. By 1945 Shannon was equipped to handle Trans Atlantic air travel.

At the end of World War II commercial passenger aircraft had evolved and in 1945 the first Trans Atlantic flight from New York landed in Shannon. The popularity of Shannon Airport sharply increased because Shannon was seen as the gateway to Europe.

One of the current uses for Shannon Airport is for American Military traffic between the US and Iraq. The use of Shannon Airport by military traffic is a contentious issue in Ireland with many Irish people thinking that their country should be a neutral country at times of war. The use of Shannon by the American Army has raised more questions about Irish neutrality than it has answered. In recent times it has been alleged that the American Military has operated 33 flights through Shannon that were on behalf of the Central Intelligence Agency, the transfer of prisoners who are non-judicial.

With air transport as a whole enjoying a boom in Europe, and with the growth of Ryanair, Shannon Airport has grown over recent years. Ryanair operates 23 destinations from Shannon. The air link between the Shannon / Limerick area to the rest of the world is assured for the foreseeable future.  

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