Shannon Group reaffirms commitment to restore air services, calls for accelerated vaccine rollout

Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine reaffirmed (20-Jan-2021) the group's commitment to restoring air services to Shannon Airport and visitor numbers to its heritage sites as soon as the aviation and tourism sectors reopen. Ms Considine said the airport recorded a decrease of 1.37 million travellers in 2020 and handled more than 352,000 passengers. The group's heritage sites experienced a collapse in visitor numbers across its portfolio of attractions, which are heavily reliant on international visitors. The sites recorded more than 302,000 visitors, a reduction almost 69% year-on-year. Ms Considine stated: "With Ryanair set to reopen its base and operate 14 new routes from Shannon for summer 2021 there are green shoots, but we recognise that recovery will be slow, rebuilding will take time, but we will get there". Ms Considine said an "accelerated and successful rollout of the national vaccination programme" is vital, and the "speed at which vaccines can be rolled out nationally and internationally is directly linked to our economic recovery". [more - original PR]