Shannon Airport Group has reported a 300% increase in passenger numbers for 2022 and said it expects this year’s total to exceed pre-Covid 2019 levels.
“Passenger numbers at Shannon Airport in 2022 exceeded our expectations. The pent-up desire for international travel following the lifting of pandemic travel restrictions was reflected in an 88% recovery on 2019 passenger levels. We welcomed over 1.51 million passengers through our airport during 2022, which was a 300% increase on 2021 passenger numbers.
“The preparatory work we put in place during the pandemic greatly assisted us in our recovery. The introduction of our new, faster, airport security screening facility, the first state airport to do so, had a positive impact. Thanks to it we have seen an increase in people from all over the country using Shannon Airport, as they now realise how ‘easy’ it is,” said Shannon Airport Group CEO Mary Considine.
Commenting on the outlook for this year, Ms Considine said: “Prospects at Shannon look bright for 2023 and this year we will operate 35 routes to 11 countries. We are delighted to be giving our customers more destinations to choose from, in fact we will have more routes this year than we did in 2019, with six brand new destinations. These new services are to Naples, Beziers, Newcastle, Porto, Liverpool, while our transatlantic services will be enhanced with the addition of a daily nonstop seasonal service to Chicago starting in May. By the end of 2023, we expect traffic volumes to have surpassed 2019 levels.
“Visitor numbers to our Shannon Heritage sites also experienced a strong recovery in 2022 as a result of the resumption of international travel, with day visitor numbers back to over 80% of pre-pandemic levels. We are pleased that the transfer of Shannon Heritage to Clare County Council is underway. I would like to thank Shannon Heritage staff for their dedication and loyalty to the business over the years, and wish them and Clare County Council every success for the future. We look forward to maintaining our relationship with them as we grow vital air services that bring international visitors to these visitor sites and Ireland,” Ms Considine said.
The Shannon Airport Group’s improved performance across its business is reflected in its 2022 financial results with an increase of over 76% in group turnover from continuing operations to €60.7m, compared to €34.5m in 2021. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) for the group increased to €16.5m from €8.6m in 2021.
