According to the most recent figures, Shannon Airport's passenger numbers rose by 15 per cent during the first six months of this year.
Traffic for the first three weeks of this month was up by 20 per cent according to Neil Pakey, Shannon's chief executive. He stated that the airport was well ahead of exceeding its double-digit target increase in passenger numbers this year.
At the announcement of a new Ryanair daily service from Shannon to Manchester, and a weekly service to Kaunus in Lithuania, Pakey stated the new routes would help towards building a "more balanced economy for Ireland."
"We are out there selling the west of Ireland and that’s obviously a new message for people who were being hammered with the message that Dublin was the gateway to Ireland," he said.
"What I see happening is that Ryanair and others are helping to build a more balanced economy – not everything has to be Dublin-central.”
