RYANAIR has promised it remains committed to the wider Mid-West region as the budget airline celebrates 35 years at Shannon Airport. Jade Kirwan, Head of Communications at the airline stressed that continued growth is expected in Shannon due to customers being more “price sensitive” in the midst of a looming recession. “The fact that our prices are hedged compared to the likes of Aer Lingus means that we can keep our low-cost base, which will be advantageous coming into the summer,” she told Limerick Live. Ms Kirwan’s comments come in the same week that Ryanair has announced two new summer services at Shannon Airport. Flights to Naples in Italy, and Porto in Portugal, will begin operating from Shannon in the summer of 2023. The twice weekly services will run on Wednesdays and Sundays for both destinations. This brings the total number of routes operated by Ryanair at Shannon Airport next summer to 26, and over 180 weekly flights, marking a 35% capacity growth on its summer 2022 offering. Mary Considine, CEO of The Shannon Airport Group, described the news as “another win for Shannon Airport” due to the hard work of the Aviation Development team. “Porto is a great coastal city with incredible history, while Naples offers so much to see and do, and opens opportunities for passengers to explore the wonderful Amalfi coastline,” she said. These destinations will provide further connectivity for Shannon and the region, and highlights Shannon’s continued growth since the pandemic, Ms Considine added. The good news follows a further boost for Shannon last month, during the 35 year anniversary celebration of Ryanair operations from Shannon Airport, the airline announced a third based aircraft for Shannon and two new services to Beziers in the South of France and Newcastle in the UK for summer 2023. Ms Kirwan stated that the efficiency travelling through Shannon Airport as opposed to Dublin is something that is “very important” to Ryanair as a service provider. “There is a huge cohort of people around Shannon and Limerick, so there is huge growth opportunity here. We are on track to carry over a million passengers this year,” she outlined. She stressed that Shannon is very important for driving business, which makes key business routes such as links to the UK very important for Ryanair. “There is a lot of talent down in Shannon. It is really important that we are able to create investment and bring in jobs and be able to benefit from that talent,” Ms Kirwan said. While Ryanair has launched its summer schedule across its network, she has hinted that it is not 100% finalised. “We are still adding routes. I can’t guarantee there will be anything for Shannon, but I would keep my eyes peeled,” added Ms Kirwan.
Creator :Cian O’Broin
Published on : 2022-12-03 08:00:01
Source :limerickleader
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