It is a 24-hour operation, 365 days a year (even Christmas Day).
• Shannon airport has the longest runway in Ireland at 3,200 metres.
• The world’s first Duty Free shop was established at Shannon Airport in 1947. It began as a small kiosk staffed by one woman and today has grown into a multi-billion dollar retail industry throughout the world.
• Shannon is home to the world-famous Irish coffee, invented by Chef Joe Sheridan in 1942 to keep passengers warm while stopping off during their transatlantic flights.
• The airport was originally located at Foynes, as a sea-plane base for transatlantic flights. The airport relocated to a land-based facility in 1945.
• On 5th August 2009 Shannon became was the first airport in the world, outside of the Americas, to provide Full US Pre-clearance facilities to the USA, which includes immigration, customs and agriculture.
• Shannon is the most westerly airport in Europe and in the 1940s and 1950s was the primary technical transit stop for all airlines crossing the Atlantic to and from Europe.
• The aviation fuel storage facility at Shannon is the largest airport storage facility within the State and can hold 50+ days stock with 11 million gallons capacity.
• Shannon Airport is part of Shannon Group plc is a commercial semi-state company established on the 5th September 2014. It brings together the Airport, Shannon Heritage, the International Aviation Services Centre (IASC) and Shannon Commercial Enterprises Ltd, trading as Shannon Commercial Properties.
• The airport is adjacent to Shannon Free Zone, the world’s first Free Trade Zone established in 1959 and home today to over 100 companies.
• The airport environs are home to a cluster of over 40 aviation companies.
• Bunratty Folk Park came into existence when a cottage at the airport was removed to make way for a new runway. It was carefully rebuilt in Bunratty in its original format and led to the development of Bunratty Folk Park, one of the top tourist attractions in the country.
• There are over one million people residing within 90 minutes’ drive time of the airport.
