Shannon Airport’s fortunes taking off

Shannon Airport’s fortunes appear to be taking off – if you can pardon the cliche – just 15 months after it won independence.

This week, 11 new European routes were launched from the midwest hub, with Ryanair beginning services to nine of them, including Berlin, Munich and Paris.

Aer Lingus, meanwhile, started a new Malaga service and its regional arm began flying to Bristol.

Aer Lingus has also begun flying to New York on a year-round basis, boosting the airport's transatlantic services, which also include Boston, Chicago and Newark.

Shannon Airport Authority chief executive Neil Pakey noted that Shannon had not had as many routes launched in one week since 2005. "This is a turning point for Shannon," he added.

A few things have come together for the airport. Stronger-than-expected tourism last year pushed airlines such as United into increasing transatlantic capacity, while Aer Lingus’s decision to step up its focus on long haul has also contributed to the growth.

The scrapping of the €3 travel tax from this month is the main reason behind Ryanair’s decision to launch new routes.

Once Minister for Finance Michael Noonan, from nearby Limerick, announced in the budget that he was cutting the tax to zero, the airline announced a major expansion of its Irish services.

None of that is to rule out the impact that independence has had. Shannon now has its own board and chief executive, and has the freedom to strike its own deals.

There is evidence that its revival is making waves in the region. US biotech group Regeneron, which is investing $300 million (€219 million) on redeveloping the old Dell plant at Raheen, cited the direct links offered by the airport as one of the reasons for choosing the area – alongside the State's corporate tax regime and a pool of available talent.

Regeneron, which produces a glaucoma treatment and has arthritis and cholesterol drugs in its pipeline, will employ 185 people by 2015 but could ultimately increase that number to 800, Noonan said recently.