Shannon Airport St. Brigid’s Bank Holiday Traffic Up 14% on 2025

By
Julia Labedz
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Shannon Group welcomes the return of the Aer Lingus Heathrow service to Shannon. Wednesday 1st September 2021: Shannon Group has welcomed the return of the Aer Lingus London Heathrow service to Shannon Airport. From 13th September the service will operate seven days a week departing Shannon at 17:00 daily. Arrival times from London into Shannon are 16:10 on Monday through Friday and Sunday, with arrival time on Saturdays scheduled for 15:45. The service will operate for ten weeks during the closure of Cork Airport for runway upgrade works. Aer Lingus will operate an A321LR aircraft six out of seven days on the Shannon to Heathrow route, the newest, most fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly member of their fleet, with 16 dedicated business class seats. On Mondays an A320 aircraft will provide the service. The Shannon to Heathrow service was withdrawn as a result of the pandemic. Prior to this the service had been popular, particularly for business travellers, due to Heathrow’s hub status and onward connections to international marketplaces across the globe. Commenting Mary Considine, CEO, Shannon Group said: “It is great to see the Heathrow service return to Shannon in what has been, and continues to be, an extremely difficult period for the aviation sector. “We will be working closely with Aer Lingus to build the service and to resume long-haul services, however, airlines make decisions on routes based on a number of factors, one of the most important of which is how many passengers will travel on their flight. The best way to ensure the Heathrow service and indeed other routes, remain for the long term is for people to support them. We have already seen encouraging up-take for the range of 18 air services we have launched since the lifting of travel restrictions. Commenting on the general outlook at Shannon Ms Considine said: “With Heathrow starting on September 13th, our new Luton service due to begin operation at the end of October and our exis

Shannon Airport is set to welcome over 24,000 passengers across the upcoming February bank holiday period. This figure represents a 14% jump on the same time last year, as the popularity of St. Brigid’s bank holiday getaways soar.

The early long weekend is encouraging travellers to swop the January blues for blue skies, with the airport’s Lanzarote and Malaga flights among the most in-demand. Passengers are also opting for city breaks with the Spanish capital Madrid, which joined Shannon Airport’s ‘25 winter schedule with twice-weekly flights on Saturdays and Tuesdays, proving popular for a long weekend of culture and cuisine.

Speaking today, Airport Director of Shannon Airport, Niall Kearns said: “We’re delighted to see such a strong start to 2026. A 14% jump in passenger numbers for the St. Brigid’s bank holiday period highlights just how eager people are to take advantage of winter sun and short breaks. We have year-round options to the Canary Islands, Spain and Madeira, so people are really spoilt for choice when they choose to fly from here. This year we’ll have 40 routes from Shannon which, when put together with our award-winning customer service and hassle-free experience from the car park to the gate, means we’re looking forward to really busy and successful 2026.”

Of the 40 routes available from Shannon Airport in 2026, there are 5 new services in the upcoming summer schedule including Rome, Warsaw, Poznan and the continuation of Madrid with Ryanair. In April Discover Airlines launch their new, twice weekly route to Frankfurt which will provide onward connection to Lufthansa’s wider global network.  

An expanded daily summer service to Boston with Aer Lingus also offers more choice for transatlantic travellers, with over 350,000 seats available to the US from Shannon Airport for Summer ’26.

For an even more hassle-free experience travelling through Shannon Airport, passengers flying out this weekend are advised to download the Shannon Airport app which gives them everything from parking to flight details, right at their fingertips.

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