Shannon to transform into business jet hub

Shannon Airport's plans to overhaul its strategy could involve transforming the facility into a leading business aviation hub (BusinessWorld.ie, 29-Jun-2011). The airport plans to leverage its status as the only airport outside the US with US pre-clearance for corporate jet travellers. Shannon Airport, which is owned by the Dublin Airport Authority, will launch a marketing campaign aimed at the European business aviation community. British Airways uses Shannon Airport as a stopover point on its all-business-class A318-operated London City-New York JFK service to refuel, while US Customs and Border Protection clear all passengers.

Signature Flight Support: "Given that Shannon is the only airport in the world with US preclearance for business aviation and that the States is so pivotal internationally in this area, Shannon now has a unique global selling point. It can become a crossroads for international business aviation and there are many opportunities that will flow from this. The follow-through could include becoming a registration and service centre for corporate jets and a back-office for operators. In turn, this will potentially bring a lot of high net-worth individuals to Shannon and create a tourism and potential foreign direct investment opportunity as well," Michael Ryan, General Manager. Source: BusinessWorld.ie, 29-Jun-2011.