Ryanair to base fourth aircraft at Shannon adding routes to Madrid and Lapland
Ryanair announced on Wednesday it will add a fourth aircraft at Shannon Airport this winter, described as a 'gamechanger' for the region, adding 100,000 passengers.
The announcement will see three new routes this winter to Lapland, Madeira and Madrid, in addition to extra flights on six existing routes - Alicante, Edinburgh, Kraków, Lanzarote, Manchester, and Wrocław - for Winter 25/26.
The announcement will help to deliver 20% traffic growth to Shannon.
'This expansion offers even greater choice for our passengers and strengthens Shannon's position as a key gateway to and from the West of Ireland. Ryanair's investment is a powerful endorsement of the potential of Shannon, a vote of confidence in the market here, and a testament to the progress we've made growing passenger numbers,' said Shannon Airport Group chief executive Mary Considine. 'We see a huge potential for growth and believe there is a real opportunity for Shannon Airport to lead the way in rebalancing the national landscape."
Ryanair's chief commercial officer Jason McGuinness said the company is investing €350m in the region.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, he said: 'We've been here at Shannon Airport for 36 years. There's an ambitious management team here that understands the competition they face against the 40 countries and 240 airports that Ryanair operates across Europe.
'We are probably one of the biggest single investors in regional Ireland at the moment. We've doubled the amount of seats we're offering across regional Irish airports and we have doubled the number of passengers we have in Shannon from 800,000 to 1.6m.'
Passenger numbers at Shannon Airport reached a 15-year high in 2024, surpassing 2.1m in the 12 months. The addition of a fourth aircraft will mean it will have one more than Cork Airport, which last year reported 3.1m passengers. Asked if Ryanair will also seek to increase its fleet in Cork Airport, Mr McGuinness said: 'I would hope so. We are very committed to regional Irish airports. We have three aircraft based in Cork this winter, but I would hope that could increase. I'm happy to talk to anyone of our 240 airports across Europe.'
'Both airports can grow and we can add more routes to both, but we have never been shy in saying that we allocate capacity wherever costs are best and where we can get the best long-term deals. If the DAA want to come up with something better in terms of its cost base for Cork, we're very happy to talk to them.' 'In terms of our plan to grow from 20m passengers to 30m, the majority of that growth, around 60%, was actually in regional airports, predominantly in Cork and Shannon.' The added aircraft for the 2025 Shannon Airport winter season will result in an additional $100m investment by Ryanair, which Mr McGuinness said is already investing heavily in the region.
'There will be a direct extra 30 jobs spanning across pilots and cabin crew, as well as additional in maintenance and in engineering. We're also likely to be announcing more maintenance jobs in Shannon over the next few months.'
Mary Considine, CEO of the Shannon Airport Group told the Irish Examiner: 'This is a massive vote of confidence for us. 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.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
39 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Michael Carey resigns as Chair of Enterprise Ireland and the Housing Agency
Businessman Michael Carey has resigned as Chair of Enterprise Ireland and Chair of the Housing Agency. Mr Carey is co-founder and Executive Chairman of biscuit producer 'East Coast Bakehouse'. In a statement, Mr Carey said it was with regret that he was announcing his resignation from the two voluntary unpaid/un-expensed state board positions. "Recent media reports have highlighted late account filings with the CRO for our business East Coast Bakehouse, where I'm a major shareholder and executive chairman," Mr Carey said. "This has occurred due to management administrative errors." "The delay has been exacerbated by an unanticipated need for a decision by our board to change our auditors." "There is no suggestion of any financial issues at the company; the accounts for these periods are completed and the fully audited accounts are expected to be filed in the CRO by early July," he added. Mr Carey said that issue of the late filing has received particular media attention due to his role as chairman of two state agencies. "I accept personal responsibility for the failure of the business to comply with this corporate governance requirement and the heightened requirement to fully comply, as chairman of a number of state boards. A late filing fee will be paid as appropriate and actions have been taken to avoid any future reoccurrence." "In order to avoid embarrassment to the Ministers and any distraction from the crucially important jobs undertaken by these two agencies, I will step aside from these roles with immediate effect." "I will work with the board and CEOs of these agencies as/if required to facilitate a smooth transition," Mr Carey said. In a statement, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke said a process will now commence through PublicJobs, the public appointments service, to appoint a new Chair. Jim Woulfe, who currently sits on the board of Enterprise Ireland, is to act as interim Chair in advance of the formal process concluding. "I would like to thank Michael Carey for his work and dedication to Irish enterprises over the last two years as Chair of Enterprise Ireland and wish him all the best in the future," Mr Burke said. Kevin Sherry, Interim CEO, Enterprise Ireland, thanked Mr Carey. "Michael gave huge time and commitment as Chairman and was dedicated to supporting Irish exporting businesses at all stages of their development," Mr Sherry said. "Throughout his time as Chairman, he constantly focused on how our organisation can better support Irish businesses." "He brought the voice of the client and the insights of an entrepreneur to the table ensuring that clients were at the heart of every conversation," he added. The Housing Agency issued a statement thanking Mr Carey for his leadership. "Michael has been a committed leader whose extensive experience and skills have been greatly appreciated by the Agency," said Housing Agency CEO Martin Whelan. "We thank him for his many years of service," Mr Whelan said.
Irish Examiner
40 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Enterprise Ireland chair Michael Carey resigns from role
The chair of Enterprise Ireland has Michael Carey has resigned, with former Dairygold chief Jim Woulfe now taking the role in an interim capacity. Mr Carey had been in the spotlight over reports his company East Coast Bakehouse had made late account filings with the Companies Registration Office. Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke confirmed Mr Carey had tendered his resignation and said a process will now commence through the Public Appointments Service to appoint a new Enterprise Ireland chair. Mr Carey is also the chair of the board of the Housing Agency and he is also believed to have stepped down from this role. "I would like to thank Michael Carey for his work and dedication to Irish enterprises over the last two years as chair of Enterprise Ireland and wish him all the best in the future," said Mr Burke. "The Government and Enterprise Ireland have ambitious plans over the coming period, including to increase exports to €50bn by 2029, to establish 1,700 new Irish-owned exporters and to increase jobs in companies supported by Enterprise Ireland to 275,000. Supporting Irish SMEs, together with realising the significant potential we have in our innovative economy, remain my absolute priority. I am working closely with Jenny Melia, as CEO designate, and the board of Enterprise Ireland in this regard." Former Dairygold chief executive Jim Woulfe, a member of the board of Enterprise Ireland, has agreed to act as interim chair in advance of the formal process concluding. Mr Woulfe was Dairygold chief until December 2021 when he retired after 42 years' service.
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
EuroMillions draw LIVE updates as record-breaking €250m jackpot up for grabs
Excitement is building among Irish Lotto players as tonight's EuroMillions jackpot sits at a record-breaking €250m. The jackpot reached its maximum cap last Friday, and will be stuck at €250m for five draws, at which point it will become a Must Be Won draw where the jackpot will be shared amongst the winners of the prize tier below. Since the EuroMillions game launched in Ireland in 2004, there have been 17 Irish EuroMillions jackpot winners and if tonight's draw is won here, this will be Ireland's largest ever EuroMillions prize. The record for the largest cheque presented in the famous Winners' Room currently stands at €175 million, when Reilly's Daybreak on Main Street, The Naul, Co. Dublin, sold the winning ticket for Ireland's largest EuroMillions win in February 2019. The National Lottery is encouraging players dreaming of becoming Ireland's newest millionaire to secure their tickets for tonight's draw early, either in-store, through the National Lottery app, or online here, before the 7.30pm deadline on Friday. Irish Lotto players are dreaming big ahead of tonight's €250m EuroMillions draw, with plans ranging from gold toilets to houses for dogs and even buying their own airport. As Friday's EuroMillions jackpot hits its record-breaking €250 million cap, Irish players are letting their imaginations run wild - and the results are as heartwarming as they are unhinged. From chocolate factories to gold toilets, Ireland's Lotto dreams are proof that when it comes to daydreaming, we go big or go home - often in a private jet apparently. The research, released ahead of tonight's draw, shows a nation fuelled by generosity and a healthy dose of madness. A massive 52% of respondents said they'd donate between 10% and 25% of their winnings to others, with the average donation clocking in at a very respectable 23.8%. And nearly three-quarters (71%) said they'd buy a house for every member of their family. Meanwhile, the National Lottery has issued an urgent appeal to the public as time is running out for a Lotto jackpot winner to claim their prize of €500,000. The life-changing sum was won in the 2pm draw Daily Millions Plus draw on Friday, March 28, with Lotto bosses revealing that the winning Quick Pick ticket was purchased at Tesco in Stillorgan Shopping Centre, Stillorgan, Co Dublin, on the day of the draw. Ticket holders have 90 days from the date of the draw to claim their prize, which means the Dublin winner has until close of business on Thursday, June 26 to come forward – just two weeks to go. Tonight's EuroMillions jackpot sits at a record-breaking €250m again after nobody scooped the top prize in Tuesday's draw. Under the EuroMillions community games rules, the Jackpot is capped once it reaches €250m. The Jackpot can remain capped at €250m for a total of five successive draws. On the fifth draw if there is still no Jackpot winner then the full amount, the €250million and any excess Jackpot value, flows down to the next prize tier that there is/are a winner(s) and so Must Be Won. For each draw that the Jackpot is at Cap, any excess which would normally be allocated to the Jackpot will flow down to the next prize tier at which there are winners. Since the EuroMillions game launched in Ireland in 2004, there have been 17 Irish EuroMillions Jackpot winners. If Friday's staggering €250 Million Jackpot is won in Ireland, we could see a new Irish winner added to the roll call of Jackpot wins. The 17 Irish EuroMillions jackpot winners to date are: 1. July 2005: Dolores McNamara from Limerick, was Ireland's first and biggest EuroMillions winner scooping a staggering €115 million. 2. July 2008: A lucky player from Co. Tipperary won a €15 million jackpot with a ticket bought in Carrick-on-Suir in Co. Tipperary. 3. June 2009: A family syndicate shared the jackpot with a British winner, taking home over €29.4 million with a ticket they purchased in Dublin. 4. June 2013: A lucky punter who bought a winning ticket in a Mace shop Beaumont, Dublin 9, shared a EuroMillions jackpot worth over €187 million. A Dublin player earned half of the jackpot and picked up over €93 million. 5. September 2013: A young man from the South East shared a jackpot of over €25 million with a player in Spain, taking home over €12.8 million after purchasing his lucky ticket in Ardkeen Superstores, Waterford. 6. April 2014: A jackpot prize worth €15 million was claimed on a ticket sold in Staunton's Costcutter Express in Castlebar, Co. Mayo. 7. September 2014: An €86.7 million jackpot was won by a syndicate from Dublin. The ticket was sold in Centra on the Church Road in Ballybrack, Co. Dublin. 8. January 2016: A syndicate of friends won over €66 million, splitting the jackpot of €132,376,632. The ticket was sold in Eason's store, Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow. 9. July 2016: 22 colleagues from Dublin Bus won the €23.8 million. The ticket was sold in O'Hanlon's Portarlington. 10. January 2017: A Dublin work syndicate claimed the €88.5 million EuroMillions jackpot. The winning ticket was sold at the Applegreen Service Station on the M1 Northbound in Lusk, Co. Dublin. 11. July 2017: A syndicate from the West of Ireland won a €29 million EuroMillions jackpot. The ticket was sold in Garryduff XL Store on Pound Road, Castlebar in Co. Mayo. 12. December 2017: A small family syndicate from Dublin won €38.9 million on a ticket purchased in The Village Shop in Malahide Shopping Centre. 13. June 2018: 32 colleagues from Stakelums Hardware store in Thurles Co. Tipperary share a €17 million EuroMillions jackpot with a ticket they purchased at Eason's Store in Thurles Shopping Centre in Co. Tipperary. 14. February 2019: The Naul Family Syndicate won €175.4 million on a ticket sold in Reilly's Daybreak in Naul, Co. Dublin. 15. February 2020: A Co. Mayo family shared the €17 million jackpot with a ticket they purchased at Mulroy's Londis Store in Castlebar. 16. July 2020: An online player in Dublin won a €49.5 million jackpot which they won with a €2.50 normal play ticket. 17. February 2022: Mid-West ticket holder scoops €30.9 million jackpot with Quick Pick ticket they purchased at Larkin's Gala Service Station in Ballina, Co. Tipperary. There are two differnt ways to play the EuroMillions, either online or instore. Choose your own numbers You mark a playslip with your five selected numbers and your two Lucky Star numbers. Choose Quick Pick numbers Quick Pick means your numbers are randomly selected for you. You can ask your National Lottery Agent directly for a Quick Pick or mark the Quick Pick box in the panels on your playslip. Register to play online to: To Play EuroMillions Online: Select or deselect EuroMillions Plus Choose the number of Advance Play draws you want your numbers to play in one, two, four, six or eight Click Play Now. You'll have the chance to check that your numbers are correct before you press the Purchase button, then you're in. Easy! The National Lottery will send you an email to let you know if your ticket is a winner! You can also check all your purchases at any time using your online account. Friday's night draw will be held 8.45pm and you can watch the EuroMillions draw on the National Lottery website or YouTube channel. Results can be viewed on the Naiotnal Lottery results page after 9.25pm. The National Lottery is encouraging hopefuls to secure their tickets for Friday's draw early, either in-store, through the National Lottery app, or online at before the 7.30pm deadline this evening.
