Shannon Airport CEO optimistic for summer season despite geopolitical tensions
Welcoming 2.1m passengers last year, its highest number since 2009, the Shannon Airport Group posted an 8% rise in annual turnover in 2024 — rising to more than €73m, with its pre-tax profit for the year totalling almost €26m.
Its success has caught the attention of several major airlines, with the airport now offering its largest transatlantic schedule with five daily nonstop flights to the US, landing in New York, Newark, Boston and Chicago.
Its latest vote of confidence came earlier this week from budget airline Ryanair, which announced three new routes alongside a $100m investment in the airport as it continues to expand its presence across regional hubs.
The investment includes the addition of a new aircraft to be stationed at Shannon, bringing its total number to four for its 2025 winter schedule. It now hosts one more Ryanair aircraft than Cork, despite the second largest airport having 1m more passengers last year.
'We see a huge potential for growth and believe there is a real opportunity for us,' said Mary Considine, the chief executive officer of the Shannon Airport Group.
Shannon Airport CEO Mary Considine says Ireland's aviation policy should be changed because Dublin has an 85-86% market share. Picture: Arthur Ellis
Appointed in October 2019, Ms Considine told the Irish Examiner: 'The more aircraft we have here, the more frequency and services Ryanair can offer.
'In addition to increased frequencies for our six most popular routes, they have also been able to announce three new routes for the winter: Madrid, Madeira and Lapland.'
Yet despite its enhanced connectivity across Europe, Shannon's transatlantic flights remain some of its busiest and are a vital component of its overall operations. However, as political tensions rise across the US, the number of people travelling across the Atlantic from Ireland has fallen drastically.
Recent figures from the US International Trade Administration (ITA) found that passenger travel from Ireland fell by 27% in March when compared to the same month in 2024, with Ireland representing one of the highest decreases across all European countries.
When geopolitical events are happening with heightened uncertainty, sometimes people hesitate in making decisions
Yet, despite this downward demand pressure on US travel, Ms Considine remains optimistic.
'Talking with our airline partners, they're very confident about the summer season. There are very strong forward bookings, which go back to the strong market for the US from here," she said.
'We have very strong foreign direct investment in the catchment area of Shannon Airport. Almost 50% of the [foreign direct investment] in the country comes from within our immediate catchment area.
"We're also the international gateway to the Wild Atlantic Way, and we are seeing strong tourism growth.'
Noting recent figures from the Central Statistics Office, which found tourism numbers had fallen by 4% in April, Ms Considine says that has not been reflected in the airport's performance.
'We've seen good growth here. We saw 7% growth last year, and we expect to be up by between 7-8% again this year.
Preclearance facility
The CEO also notes Shannon's US preclearance facility — one of only two across Europe, the other being in Dublin — which she says brings greater comfort to Irish people, especially young adults and those travelling on J1 visas, and even provides an opportunity for the airport to grow.
'Take Charles De Gaulle [Airport], for example,' Ms Considine said.
'They bring quite an amount of transfer passengers here, because people prefer to pre-clear here then be refused once they get to the US.
We see that kind of demand growing at Shannon, which provides an opportunity for us here
But Shannon Airport's long-standing history with the US is reflected across its operations and not just in its commercial flight offerings.
Recent months have seen a renewed focus on the regional airport over reports that Israeli aircraft have flown weaponry from the US to Ireland through Irish airspace.
Last week, RTÉ reported that between 2022 and 2024, a total of 978 US military flights landed at Irish airports, mostly in Shannon, for refuelling and maintenance purposes.
During the same period, more than 1,000 applications were made by US civil aircraft with munitions of war on board to land at Shannon.
Reports of these flights have drawn large crowds to the airport in protest of its accommodation of US military aircraft, particularly those bound for Israel.
Addressing these demonstrations, Ms Considine said that while the airport accepts and recognises the right to protest in a peaceful manner, Shannon Airport operates solely based on government policy.
At the end of the day, we work under the direction of the Irish Government. We are State-owned and our focus is on providing a safe, secure and operational airport
"Anything that interferes with the safety and security of the airport is obviously something to be concerned about," she said.
'Concerning recent incidents, we're working very closely with gardaí to ensure there is no impact on the operation of our aerodrome facility.
Addressing the reports of military aircraft coming through the airport, Ms Considine added: 'It's government policy. Everything is done in line with existing policy, and everything that requires clearance from the Government receives that clearance.
'It is government policy, and we implement government policy.'
Shannon has five daily transatlantic flights, its pre-clearance facility reassuring passengers of guaranteed entry to the US. Picture: Denis Scannell
Looking forward, Ms Considine says recent investments from Ryanair and US airline partners fall concisely in line with its own future strategy, which prioritises passenger growth, infrastructure improvements, and the airport group's commercial property portfolio, which the CEO says has experienced strong growth in recent months, particularly across the manufacturing sector.
In addition, Shannon is also seeking to re-balance what Ms Considine has called a lopsided market share among Ireland's airports.
'If you look at Dublin, it has an 85-86% market share. We need to look at where people want to go and then meet those needs. That is why growing the range of services from Shannon Airport is so important, so we can offer that choice and then grow our market share.
'This is why we have been calling on the Government to revise its aviation policy. One avenue open to them is to amend the threshold under the regional airports programme so that airports up to 3m passengers can apply for grant funding.
'I also think it would be good for the country if we had better distribution of air traffic to free up capacity in Dublin, allowing them to go after those long-haul markets, while allowing us all to be complimentary of one another.
'It's not about not allowing Dublin to grow, it's about growing all airports and using the airport system more holistically.'
Read More
Ryanair to base fourth aircraft at Shannon adding routes to Madrid and Lapland
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
A fictional UK train route that featured in a TV show could soon become real
Plus, three scenic train journeys you can take in the UK TRACK ON A fictional UK train route that featured in a TV show could soon become real BACK in the 1970s and 80, a TV series called 'End of Part One' featured a tube station that existed in Lewisham, alongside tube stops in Ladywell, Catford and one called the 'Edge of the World.' There has never been a tube station in Lewisham - the train station only serves the DLR and National Rail, but fiction could soon become reality with Bakerloo Line extension plans stretching to the London borough. 3 The proposed extension of the Bakerloo line would go to Lewisham Credit: TFL Win one of 8 incredible holidays to the Caribbean, Mexico and Greece by voting in The Sun's Travel Awards - enter to win here Advertisement An extension of London's Bakerloo Line has been considered since 2014, but a lack of government funding has prevented it from taking place. But now th extension could actually happen thanks to a newly submitted planning permission, alongside several other new tube stations in South London. Burgess Park and Old Kent Road would be built from scratch, and New Cross Gate and Lewisham - which both currently don't have a Underground station - would each have one added. Read more on travel tips HOLS HACK My little-known tricks for cheap tickets that top UK attractions DON'T advertise While the project has not fully been given the go ahead, the route has been planned, and it was safeguarded by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in February. Advertisement According to Time Out, if the extension went ahead, it would allow 27 trains to run per hour on the line, which would mean a train every two minutes. The project is costly and a lack of funding is preventing it from getting under way, but TfL and the Mayor of London are in discussions about how to fund it. According to TfL, the plans include extending the Bakerloo Line from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham and building a new Bakerloo line ticket hall at Elephant & Castle. The route would then run from Elephant & Castle along the Old Kent Road and at New Cross Gate. Advertisement If the plans were approved, TfL has projected that work could begin in 2030 and be complete by 2040. European sleeper train with private cabins 3 This would mean building an underground station in Lewisham Credit: Alamy The Baker Street and Waterloo Railway originally opened in 1906 but was quickly renamed after a journalist nicknamed it the Bakerloo Line and the name stuck. There have already been a number of extensions to the line over the decades, including at Elephant & Castle, Queen's Park and Watford Junction. Today, the line is often known for its 1972 Mark Two tube trains that feature brown and grey retro interiors. Advertisement If the extension was built, then it could connect Lewisham to central London in 15 minutes. Three scenic train journeys you can take in the UK Cornish Coast - One trip that rail enthusiasts seem to love is along a stretch of the Cornish coast and takes just 10 minutes to complete. The route from St Erth to St Ives only stops at Carbis Bay en route to its final destination, but the views out the window for the whole journey are pretty spectacular. Another highlight of the journey is that St Ives station is situated right next to Porthminster beach, meaning the sand and sea can be accessed almost immediately. Meanwhile, the station is less than a ten minute walk into town, where the harbour, shops, galleries and pubs can be explored. Durham to Edinburgh - Another train route that people in the UK love is the East Coast train line between Durham and Edinburgh, with coastal views and city landscapes among the sights that can be seen out the window. Newcastle, Berwick, Lindisfarne and Durham Cathedral are all among the highlights on that route. Scotland's West Highland Line - While Scotland is home to plenty of famous landmarks and top attractions, it also has one of the most breathtaking train routes in the world. Scotland's West Highland Line has previously been dubbed the best rail journey in the world by Wanderlust - and it's easy to see why. The journey from Glasgow to Fort William is one of my favourite train routes - and I've interrailed through mainland Europe. With mountain landscapes, serene lochs, wistful moors, and wildlife all visible through the train window, it's certainly a route all holidaymakers should consider doing at least once. Next month, there is also the chance to hop onboard a London Underground vintage train on a secret railway line that isn't on tube maps. Plus, this is the incredible train journey that'll 'ruin every other railway trip you take'.
Agriland
7 hours ago
- Agriland
Building a market for Irish food and drink exports in China
In this article, we meet with Suki Wu, who is the China Market Specialist in Bord Bia's Shanghai office to discover more about Irish food and drink exports to China. I'm the China Market Specialist in Bord Bia's Shanghai office. My main focus is on promoting and growing Irish dairy exports in the Chinese market. Along with London, the Shanghai office is Bord Bia's largest outside Dublin. Being based here on the ground is really important. China has a massive influence on global food and drink markets because of the sheer volume it imports. Having a strong team in-market means we can better understand trade dynamics in real-time, identify opportunities, and support Irish clients in navigating the nuances of Chinese business culture. Chinese buyers attending an Irish dairy seminar during a 2024 Government-led Trade Mission. Source: Bord Bia Ireland exports a wide range of food and drink to China, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Our key exports include dairy, meat (especially pigmeat), seafood, drinks, and prepared consumer products. Ireland is China's fifth largest supplier of infant formula. For pigmeat, China is Ireland second biggest pigmeat export market. From January to May this year, Irish food and drink exports to China reached €232 million - a 2% increase compared to the same period last year. Growth came mainly from pigmeat, seafood, and dairy ingredients like casein and whey. Pigmeat imports rose early in the year thanks to Chinese New Year celebrations, early stockpiling by processors, and new tariffs on US and Canadian products that opened more space for European suppliers. In dairy, demand for protein ingredients is strong across many consumer groups, including the elderly, who are looking for functional nutrition. Irish beef exports are currently suspended, but hopefully this will be resolved and lead to sustained growth in beef exports. Geopolitical tensions and shifts in trade relationships can lead to tariff changes or new import policies, making long-term planning more difficult and adding costs. China is also investing heavily in its domestic food production, aiming for more self-sufficiency, which can reduce demand for imports. On top of that, changing consumer preferences within China are influencing how and what products people buy. One of the biggest challenges in promoting Irish products in China is our geographical distance. This means there is an ongoing need to explain not just what Ireland offers, but where and who we are. The dairy sector has led the way here, investing heavily in campaigns that not only promote their own products, but also raise awareness of Ireland itself. Altogether, these factors create a more complex environment for growing Irish exports. Shanghai Yes, there are still strong opportunities. In the second half of 2025, we're expecting continued growth in demand for health supplements and functional food and drinks, especially products like whey protein concentrate. There's also rising demand from restaurant chains for frozen pork, particularly for use in pre-made meals and further processing. During major holidays like Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day, and Spring Festival, processors will increase their pork purchases to produce items like sausages, preserved pork, and canned foods. That said, total pork imports in the second half of the year may slow slightly compared to earlier in the year. There have been many moments I'm proud of, especially the wide-ranging work we've done to promote Irish dairy here. But one standout would be how we responded to the challenges in the infant formula sector since 2018. At that time, the import market was shrinking due to declining birth rates and a consumer shift toward local Chinese brands. Rather than stepping back, we used the moment to reassess and identify new opportunities. That led us to specialised nutrition - dairy products formulated for specific nutritional needs such as elder or sports nutrition. This is an area where Irish dairy can really add value. I'm proud to have been involved, working closely with industry to refocus our strategy, align with emerging trends, and create a new space for Ireland in the market.
RTÉ News
10 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Green Fables: The ways firms have misled on their sustainability
Shein has been hit with its second fine from European regulators in as many months – with both including accusations of greenwashing. The Chinese fast fashion retailer was accused by Italian authorities of making "misleading or omissive" environmental claims about its products, which centred on what were seen as vague, misleading and often confusing information about its attempts to be more sustainable. A more specific part of the case pointed to a line of products it sold under the 'evoluSHEIN by Design' tag, which were said to be more sustainable. But the Italian regulator said that sustainability was over-stated – and might have incorrectly led consumers to believe that they were made solely from 'sustainable' materials, while also being fully recyclable. Which was not the case. As a result it imposed a €1m fine on a Dublin-based company - Infinite Style Services Co Limited - which operates Shein's website in Europe. Shein said it cooperated fully with the investigation and has taken immediate action to address the issues raised. The move by Italian authorities follows the imposition of a €40m fine by French regulators last month. Much of that case was relating to false claims about the discount it was applying to certain products - but an element of it also related to its inability to substantiate a claim that it had reduced its emissions by 25%. Is Shein the first fast fashion firm to have mislead consumers in this way? Far from it. The fashion industry is a major contributor to global emissions and waste and while some of the biggest operators have promised to do something about that, they've often failed to back that up with real action. H&M, for example, has faced multiple accusations of greenwashing. In one case it pulled a sustainability scorecard that it was using after an investigation found it was misleading. The idea of the scorecard was to show consumers what kind of environmental impact different materials had, but in one case it claimed a particular fabric used 30% less water in its production than standard processes – when the truth was it used 30% more. It has also been criticised for its 'Conscious Collection', which included clothes made from organic and recycled materials. But this line only makes up a tiny proportion of H&M's overall range – even though they would have made a big push to promote it in their marketing and in-store display. And one of the key elements of their sustainability programme was to offer consumers the chance to recycle old clothes in-store in order to 'close the loop'. Placed alongside a line of clothes that used recycling material, the clear implication here was the customers' old clothes would be used to make new products. But that just wasn't the case. Industry experts point out that recycling any fabric for use in the likes of clothing is actually extremely difficult – and often more expensive and less efficient than creating something from virgin materials. Really the most practical re-use of old clothing is for them to be repurposed as industrial rags, as insulation, or stuffing in couches and mattresses. But an investigation by a Swedish newspaper in 2023 has raised doubts that the products sent through these recycling programmes even went to this use case. At the time reporters dropped in ten new, unstained items of clothing into the recycling bins, with each one containing a tracker that allowed their movement to be monitored remotely. They found that, at first, the products got shipped to Germany for processing – and many then were sent far afield towards their final destination. Some of the items turned up in Benin in Africa, one turned up in India, some ended up in Ghana – all countries where huge volumes of clothes are sent from the likes of western Europe, and generally either dumped of incinerated. But this isn't just a problem facing H&M. Experts have cast doubt on all of the major retailers' clothes recycling schemes – because there is limited capacity to recycle items properly, and there are limited applications for that recycled material. There are also a lot of companies that are willing to take the problem off retailers hands for a fee – and, while they might give assurances that they are disposing of it correctly, they often end up dumping or burning it. But critics say that the real goal of these recycling schemes isn't to generate a flow of second-hand material for clothing lines. Instead, what these recycling programmes are said to be trying to do is make the consumer feel better about buying lots of clothes on a regular basis, rather than encouraging them to rethink their fast fashion purchases altogether. Is this kind of greenwashing new? No – companies have long tried to paint themselves as being more natural, healthy and eco-friendly. But case of greenwashing have become more common – and more prominent – in the past two decades, as we have all become more aware of the need to reduce our emissions and our waste. And survey after survey has shown that consumers want the products they buy to be more environmentally friendly; and most say they are willing to pay a premium for a more sustainable product. But making your product greener can be hard work – it might require an overhaul of your supply chain, or spending more on better quality raw materials. It might even mean foregoing some profit margin or even sales in order to make the entire business more sustainable. So many companies would rather put their efforts into looking more sustainable, and reaping the rewards, rather than actually changing things all of that much under the hood. What's been the biggest greenwashing case in recent history? That's likely to be Volkswagen's emissions cheating scandal, which came to light almost ten years ago. Dubbed Dieselgate, it related to the company's attempts to hide the true emissions of some vehicles so that they would appear more environmentally-friendly. That made them more attractive to consumers, and allowed them to pass what were increasingly strict emissions standards tests in the US and in Europe. It did this by fitting a piece of software in the car that allowed it to detect when it was being tested – at which point it would activate emissions controls. They would otherwise be switched off so as not to impact the car's performance. In one case it was found that the real world emissions were 40 times the level that showed up in testing – so it was a huge difference. And even though the company initially tried to say it was an isolated incident, and something that wasn't an intentional company policy, it was eventually found to be in place in 11 million vehicles. In the end Volkswagen had to pay out somewhere in the region of €33 billion in fines and compensation to national regulators – and customers who had been duped and left with a less-valuable car. The case also had a huge impact on the company's reputation globally – and forced it to completely upend its business. There was a management overhaul, the then CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned after eight years at the helm – he is currently awaiting trial in Germany for fraud. And the company's new management team pledged to accelerate its plan to transition to electric vehicles as a kind of penance for the environmental impact Dieselgate had had. Have any Irish firms been accused of greenwashing? Yes – and one of the most prominent cases shows you just how tricky it can be to nail down a claim – because the same data can be presented in different ways to make completely different arguments. Ryanair regularly boasts about its low emissions – it would have been delighted to see a report just last month by aviation analytics firm Cirium, which said it had the lowest emissions per passenger per kilometre of any large airline in the world. But, at the same time, Ryanair has also been consistently ranked as one of Europe's biggest polluters. Back in 2019 a report by Transport and Environment, based on EU data, said Ryanair was one of Europe's top ten carbon emitters. All of the others in the top ten that year operated coal-powered energy plants. And those two claims might seem to be at odds – but it's possible for them both to be true at the same time. Because Ryanair has a fairly modern fleet of planes, which are more energy efficient, and because it tends to fill more seats on each of its planes, it does mean that the amount of fuel burned per passenger tends to be a good bit lower than those using older planes, and with fewer bums on seats. And this is the emissions metric Ryanair likes to use – the amount of carbon emitted per passenger, per kilometre travelled. But of course Ryanair also carries a huge number of passengers each year – it had 203 million passengers in the year to July. That makes Ryanair the biggest airline in Europe by passenger numbers – and one of, if not the biggest in the world. And generally each of those is travelling hundreds if not thousands of kilometres at a time. And even if your per-passenger number is low – once it's multiplied by 203 million, and then by hundreds or thousands of kilometres, you're going to get a pretty big end figure. Needless to say, while per-passenger emissions aren't irrelevant, it's also true to say that the environment doesn't care how many people were involved in producing all of that carbon. The impact is has is just the same. What are some other examples of greenwashing? Well similar to those clothes recycling bins that shops have, there have been lots of recycling programmes set up that are of dubious value. Nespresso's pod recycling scheme has been accused of being inconvenient for users, while it is also not open to users of third-party pods. But by Nespresso's own data, just one third of its are sent back to be recycled. Similarly those packaging recycling stations in supermarkets are a form of greenwashing – because all they do is let the consumer dump the packaging in the shop, rather than having to bring it home and put it in their own bin. It doesn't actually reduce the amount of waste being generated by supermarkets and consumer goods in the first place, which is the real problem. Companies are also very good at making big promises around sustainability, but without any real enforcement in place to make sure they follow through. Coca-Cola, for example, is the world's biggest plastic polluter but, back in 2019, they promised to do something about that by sourcing half of their plastic from recycled material by 2030. But late last year, they softened that target significantly, aiming instead for 35% of its material to be recycled by 2035. Although you might not know it was a downgrade if you read their press release – which was titled 'Coca-Cola company evolves voluntary environmental goals'. It made no mention of the old targets. And of course many companies, including Coca-Cola, brag about their packaging being 100% recyclable – but that ignores the fact that only a small portion of plastic globally is recycled each year – most is dumped or burned. And even after consumers go to the effort of cleaning and properly disposing of plastic – and paying for it to be collected – there's still no guarantee it will be recycled. But sometimes greenwashing doesn't even need to get consumers lost in the weeds like that – it can be something as simple as a company literally making its packaging green, maybe adding a few flowers to make it look more natural, or packaging it in brown cardboard that looks more eco-friendly even if it isn't. And unfortunately, while there are resources online to help consumers to make good choices, most of the onus is on them to figure out what is genuinely good and what is simply marketing trickery.
