Shannon Airport is bracing for its busiest May bank-holiday weekend on record, with more than 56,000 passengers forecast between Friday and Monday—a 9 percent jump on last year. Airport management attributes the spike largely to three new Ryanair and Aer Lingus city-break routes launched this spring: Rome, Madrid and Frankfurt. The additions expand Shannon’s schedule to 40 destinations across Europe, the UK and the United States, cementing its role as Ireland’s primary western gateway. For global-mobility managers, the expanded network offers new one-stop options for staff based in the Mid-West and reduces the need to connect via Dublin. The airport’s U.S. pre-clearance facility—one of only two outside the capital—remains a draw for business travellers heading to Boston, New York and Chicago, allowing them to arrive stateside as domestic passengers. Shannon Airport Group says it has increased frontline staff, opened extra security lanes and authorised longer car-park operating hours to cope with the surge. Travellers are nevertheless advised to arrive at least two hours before short-haul and three hours before transatlantic departures, given ongoing teething issues with the EU’s new biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) at partner airports. Tourism bodies welcome the uplift: Fáilte Ireland estimates the long weekend will inject €6 million into the local economy, supporting hospitality jobs at a time when the region is repositioning itself as an alternative to congested Dublin routes. Employers should remind internationally mobile staff to book early and factor potential road congestion on the M18 and N19 into transfer schedules.
Source: Clare FM
