Passenger numbers at Shannon rise

Passenger numbers at Shannon airport rose during August and September, while a recent poll shows that three counties in its hinterland are benefiting most from a growth in US tourists.

Shannon said yesterday that passenger numbers were up 22 per cent in August and 17 per cent in September. The figures show that there was a 73 per cent rise in August across its European routes, with passengers travelling on those services increasing to 63,422 from 36,072.

In September, 48,874 people travelled on its European services compared with 32,342 during the same month in 2013.

Shannon airport's chief executive Neil Pakey said: "What is most pleasing is we are achieving growth across all our markets."

Meanwhile, a Red C poll found that Kerry, Clare and Galway are the most popular counties with US travellers who travelled through Shannon this summer.

Kerry made the most gains with 39 per cent of US tourists visiting there compared with 31 per cent in 2013. Clare was the most popular, with 52 per cent saying they spent time there up from 46 per cent. Some 34 per cent of US tourists visited Galway compared with 29 per cent last year.