THE LARGEST repositioning of aircraft seen in Europe in many years was completed in less than four hours over the weekend with 14 passenger jets arriving in Shannon.
The 14 Boeing 737s were operated by Malév Hungarian Airlines, which ceased operations on Friday after the European Commission ordered the company to repay millions of euro it received in state aid received from 2007 to 2010.
The aircraft, all owned by a US-based aircraft leasing company International Lease Finance Corp, were flown to Shannon late on Friday and early Saturday morning.
The first of the 14 aircraft to depart from Budapest, flight MAH-5212, flew a lap of honour around the airport and carried out a fly-past over the runway before continuing its journey to Shannon.
Another aircraft, a Dash-8 turbo-prop, also flew to Shannon to bring the flight crews back to Budapest.
The massive redeployment of aircraft was watched and listened to closely by thousands on various flight-tracking websites and social media sites.
A live feed of Shannon air traffic control communications attracted more than 300 listeners at one point, making it the most listened to live feed in the world at that time.
At the same time, almost 200 people were listening to a similar feed at Budapest airport from where the aircraft departed. The feeds were provided through US-based LiveATC.net.
The first jet arrived at 8.45pm, followed by 13 more over the following four hours, with the last flight touching down at 12.29am on Saturday.
Shannon could be in line to earn as much as €800 a day for each aircraft for as long as they remain on the ground at the airport.
This includes parking and security costs, while at least one ground-handling agent and a maintenance company are also expected to benefit.
The Irish Aviation Authority will also benefit financially from the repositioning of the jets through air traffic control charges.
Malév operated 18 Boeing 737 jets of the 600, 700 and 800 series, 17 of which were leased from International Lease Finance Corporation.
The airline also flew six turbo-prop aircraft.
It is not know how long the aircraft will stay in Shannon, but it is expected that if they are to be leased to another airline, they could get new liveries at Shannon, providing welcome business for at least one maintenance company.