After an absence of 23 years, Air Canada is being welcomed back to Shannon Airport this month with its new flights linking Dublin and Shannon with Toronto.
The summer daily service will begin on June 14th as part of a European expansion plan for the Canadian national airline.
As Trans Canada Airlines (TCA), the company began passenger operations at Shannon in September, 1947, with a regular service to Montreal. This continued until 1979. With the growth of business at the Shannon Free Zone industrial estate, Air Canada continued this link until May 1984 with a cargo service.
Mr Hal Baxter, the company station manager, wrote a colourful report of Shannon in 1949. "Overland, this land of fairy tales and folklore gave birth to what has eventually led to be universally acclaimed, by passengers and crew alike, as the most up-to-date airport in Europe today."
Later Mr Baxter wrote of the two Air Lingus passenger service hostesses who went on board each transatlantic aircraft at Shannon to advise passengers of airport formalities: "Their personality and charm and lilting brogue never fails to hold you spellbound. So impressed were officials of TCA when first they experienced this smiling and personal greeting that they have since introduced the same system on our stations whenever possible."
Mr Baxter served at Shannon for many years until he was replaced in 1952 by Dubliner Jack Horan, the first Irish senior employee of the company.
He was in turn replaced by Mr Aidan Larkin, who had joined Aer Lingus in June, 1946. Six years later he joined TCA and when he retired 13 years ago, he was the longest serving airline official, having spent over 43 years at Shannon. "I am delighted to hear that Air Canada are coming back," he said.
Arthur Quinlan