‘Lying idle’: Call for urgent expansion of Shannon Airport routes

A LIMERICK Senator has called for urgent expansion of Shannon Airport routes, warning that regional economic growth is being held back by severe connectivity imbalances.

Fianna Fáil Senator, Dee Ryan said the dominance of Dublin Airport in national aviation traffic highlights the scale of the challenge facing regional enterprise.

“Last year, based on the statistics available to date, 83% of all flights handled by Irish airports were handled by Dublin Airport. It has real economic consequences for the regions,” she said.

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Ms Ryan pointed to the significant underutilisation of Shannon Airport as a missed economic opportunity. “Shannon Airport is operating around two million passengers below its annual capacity. The infrastructure exists to handle far more traffic, yet it is lying idle while Dublin operates under sustained pressure.”

Writing to the Minister for Transport and Minister for Enterprise, Ms Ryan called for coordinated action between the Departments of Transport and Enterprise, including strategic route incentives and hub connectivity expansion.

“We need a national aviation strategy that supports balanced regional growth.

“Shannon Airport route development must be treated as an economic priority, not an afterthought.”