Shannon Airport Guide

Shannon Airport sits on the south bank of the Shannon Estuary in County Clare, roughly 24 km west of Limerick city. Its location on Ireland's Atlantic coast made it a natural stopping point for transatlantic flights, and it became Europe's first US Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance facility in 1986. Passengers flying to Boston, New York, Newark, and Chicago clear US immigration and customs at Shannon before departure.

The airport operates a single terminal with 14 boarding gates and one runway. Ryanair and Aer Lingus are the dominant carriers, together accounting for the majority of the 2.05 million passengers handled in 2024. Transatlantic traffic grew 12% that year, with United and Delta joining Aer Lingus on North American routes.

Shannon recorded 18,086 aircraft movements in 2024. The airport is managed by Shannon Airport Authority plc, which has operated independently from Dublin Airport Authority since 2013. The site first handled commercial flights in 1939 and introduced the world's first airport duty-free shop in 1947.