Shannon Airport in Ireland's south-west reported 1.51 million passengers in 2022, a recovery to 88% of the pre-lockdown number and a 300% jump on 2021.
“The accelerated pace of the rebound in air travel from Shannon has exceeded our expectations and shows the pent-up desire for international travel following the lifting of pandemic travel restrictions,” said chief executive Mary Considine.
After the introduction in 2022 of routes to Barcelona, Malta and Marseille, European flights hit 532,000 passengers, up 7% on 2019 and 225% increase on 2021. UK flights carried over 638,000 passengers, a 309% jump, while the number for the US reached almost 240,000, a number Considine said should climb again after the start of flights to Chicago in March 2023
The airport attributed some of its faster-than-expected rebound to its security screening modernisation, which meant the removal in 2022 of the need for passengers to present liquids for separate scrutiny.