Shannon Airport is located in County Clare and serves the west of Ireland. The airport is roughly 24 Km from Limerick, Ennis and Galway. It handles around 1.7 million passengers annually making it the Republic of Irelands third busiest airport.

Initially Shannon catered for transatlantic flying boats in the Shannon Estuary but as aviation improved it was realised an airport would be needed to welcome flights from across the Atlantic. The boggy landscape around the estuary was drained and by 1945 the first flights from New York were arriving, it was also here that the worlds first duty free zone was created, which set the trend for airports around the world.

Shannon’s most popular destinations are to London Heathrow, Stansted, Newark, Gatwick and New York JFK airports and emphasises the importance it has within transatlantic traffic. The Republic of Irelands military neutrality and non-membership of NATO has also made it a stop over airport for both the American and Soviet Union troops but under strict regulations.

Location

Shannon Airport is at the terminus of the N19 duel carriageway, this connects with the towns of Limerick, Ennis and Galway on the N18/M18 motorway. The airport is also well served by taxi and coach companies, linking it to the main urban areas nearby and all the local attractions.

Car Parking

The car parking facilities at Shannon Airport can cater for over 5,000 vehicles. It is also open 24-hours a day and patrolled by the Airport Police.

Facilities

· The Loop provides a great range of shopping opportunities from foodstuffs, drink, and travel essentials to luxury goods.

· Tourist Information Centre

· 24-hour departure lounge

· Executive lounge with complimentary refreshments and shower facilities.

· Free WiFi service

· Small Oratory, offering Roman Catholic Mass on Sundays.

Accommodation

The Radisson Park Inn is right on the doorstep for Shannon Airport and has 114 superb rooms for its guests, whether you are exploring western Ireland or just stopping over. The bar and restaurant serve delicious food and there is a gym and health club on site, along with conference rooms and business services.

Guests staying at the Park Inn hotel in Shannon Airport will find a whole host of attractions within easy reach of their hotel room. There are such delights as the Bunratty Castle, Folk Park and Ballycasey Craft & Design Centre.

Flights

Flights out of Shannon travel to many of the main cities on the British mainland including Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, Edinburgh and the London airports of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. They also link with European destinations such as Malaga, Nantes, Tenerife, Wroclaw and Palma. Their speciality, however, has always been transatlantic flight and they still have regular services to Toronto, New York, Newark and Boston. British Airways operates a twice-daily business class flight to New York, flying from London Docklands, they land at Shannon to refuel and make use of the airports special status with its US Customs and Border Protection facility that makes clearing immigration in America faster.