Editing Shannon Airport (section)

== History ==
=== Establishment ===
In the late 1930s, [[transatlantic flight|transatlantic air traffic]] was dominated by [[flying boat]]s, and a flying boat terminal was located at [[Foynes]] on the south side of the [[Shannon Estuary]]. However, it was realised that changing technology would require a permanent [[runway]] and airport.
 
In 1936, the [[Government of Ireland]] confirmed that it would develop a {{convert|3.1|km2|sqmi|adj=mid}} site at Rineanna for the country's first transatlantic airport. The land on which the airport was to be built was boggy and on 8 October 1936 work began to drain it. In July 1939, a [[SABENA]] [[Savoia-Marchetti S.73]] from [[Brussels]] via [[Croydon Airport]] was the first commercial flight to use the Rineanna airfield.<ref name="GalAd80">{{cite news |date=11 July 2019 |url-status=live |first=Linley |url=https://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/108866/shannon-airport-celebrates-milestone-as-major-transport-and-economic-hub |work=[[Galway Advertiser]] |last=MacKenzie |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711065654/https://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/108866/shannon-airport-celebrates-milestone-as-major-transport-and-economic-hub |title=Shannon Airport celebrates milestone as major transport and economic hub |access-date=11 July 2019 |archive-date=11 July 2019}}</ref>

By 1942, a serviceable airport had been established and was named Shannon Airport. [[British Overseas Airways Corporation|BOAC]] began scheduled service to [[Bristol Airport|Bristol]] on 21 February 1942 to provide a land plane connection between England and the flying boat terminal at Foynes. [[Aer Lingus]] began scheduled service to [[Dublin Airport|Dublin]] in August 1942.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Shannon's early days of flying boats and Dakotas|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/shannon-s-early-days-of-flying-boats-and-dakotas-1.1051483|access-date=2021-04-16|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en|archive-date=20 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420015805/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/shannon-s-early-days-of-flying-boats-and-dakotas-1.1051483|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Transatlantic service ===

By the end of [[World War II]] in 1945, the existing runways at Shannon were extended to allow [[transatlantic flight]]s to take off. The first Air Services Agreement between Ireland and the United States in 1945 permitted U.S. airlines to serve only Shannon, and permitted Irish airlines to serve only Boston, Chicago and New York.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ireland and the U.S.: The Best of Friends, Except When They Weren’t |url=https://adst.org/2017/04/ireland-u-s-best-friends-except-werent/ |website=Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training |access-date=23 November 2024}}</ref>

On 16 September 1945, the first transatlantic proving flight, a [[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]] [[Douglas DC-4|DC-4]], landed at Shannon from [[Gander International Airport|Gander]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/airport.htm|title=Shannon Airport|publisher=Clare County Library|access-date=10 July 2018|archive-date=20 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720233111/http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/airport.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> On 24 October 1945, the first scheduled transatlantic commercial flight using a land plane, an [[American Overseas Airlines]] DC-4, ''Flagship New England'', stopped at the airport on the [[New York City]]–[[Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador|Gander]]–Shannon–[[London]] route.<ref>{{cite web|last=Fleischman|first=John|title=The Dawn of Transatlantic Flight|url=https://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/forgotten-first-flight-180975833/|access-date=2021-04-16|website=Air & Space Magazine|language=en|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414052547/https://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/forgotten-first-flight-180975833/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Trans World Airlines]] began service between New York and Paris via Gander and Shannon on 5 February 1946,<ref>{{cite web|title=TWA History|url=http://twamuseum.com/htdocs/twahistory2.htm|access-date=2021-04-16|website=twamuseum.com|archive-date=15 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215120826/http://twamuseum.com/htdocs/twahistory2.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> and began a Shannon-Dublin tag flight in 1971 after the [[Civil Aeronautics Authority|US Civil Aeronautics Board]] threatened to ban Aer Lingus from landing in New York. [[Aer Lingus|Aerlinte Eireann]] began service from Dublin to New York via Shannon on 28 April 1958.<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|title=Aer Lingus Milestones|url=https://mediacentre.aerlingus.com/factsheet/aer-lingus-milestones|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-16|website=mediacentre.aerlingus.com|language=en|archive-date=16 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416161354/https://mediacentre.aerlingus.com/factsheet/aer-lingus-milestones}}</ref>

In 1947, the "Customs Free Airport Act" established Shannon as the world's first [[duty-free shop|duty-free]] airport, a move promoted by [[Brendan O'Regan]].<ref name="Luxury">{{cite book|author=Chevalier, Michel|title=Luxury Brand Management|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2012|isbn=978-1-118-17176-9|location=Singapore}}</ref> Shannon became a model for other duty-free facilities worldwide.<ref name="Luxury" />

In 1969, it was announced that a new government agency, [[Dublin Airport Authority|Aer Rianta]] (now the Dublin Airport Authority), would be given responsibility for Shannon Airport. Passenger numbers at the airport reached 460,000 that year. With the increase in passengers and the introduction of the [[Boeing 747]], it was decided that a new enlarged [[airport terminal|terminal]] was needed. The first commercial operation of a 747 took place in April 1971, while the new terminal officially opened in May that year.

=== Aeroflot service ===
[[Aeroflot]] began service to Shannon in September 1975 as a stop between the Soviet Union and other Communist bloc countries, such as Cuba and Angola. Aeroflot kept its own fuel storage at Shannon and allowed the airport to sell the Soviet fuel to other airlines.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aeroflot | date=18 March 2012 |url=http://overtakenbyevents.eu/?tag=aeroflot|access-date=2021-04-16|language=en-GB|archive-date=16 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416161351/http://overtakenbyevents.eu/?tag=aeroflot|url-status=live}}</ref>

The United States demanded that Ireland suspend Aeroflot's Shannon operations following the shooting down of [[Korean Air Lines Flight 007]] in 1983, and Ireland temporarily banned Aeroflot later that year.<ref>{{cite web|last=Carty|first=Ed|date=2013-12-30|title=Aeroflot banned from Shannon as world on verge of nuclear war|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20253742.html|access-date=2021-04-16|website=Irish Examiner|language=en|archive-date=16 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416161351/https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20253742.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Nonetheless, the Aeroflot operation returned and developed into a hub by the mid-1990s, with flights to New York, Chicago, Washington, Miami, and Havana, largely using [[Ilyushin Il-62]] aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|last=|title=Shannon shakeup|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/shannon-shakeup/7444.article|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-16|website=Flight Global|language=en|archive-date=16 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416161349/https://www.flightglobal.com/shannon-shakeup/7444.article}}</ref>

The cooperation between Aeroflot and Aer Rianta at Shannon also led to a joint venture between the two companies to open duty-free shops at [[Sheremetyevo International Airport|Sheremetyevo Airport]] in 1987.<ref>{{cite web|date=2019-09-14|title=Michael Guerin, Boris Krivchenko and "Aeroflot" in Shannon Airport - a relationship built on trust|url=https://www.russianireland.com/en/michael-guerin/|access-date=2021-04-16|website=russianireland.com|language=en-GB|archive-date=16 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416162854/https://www.russianireland.com/en/michael-guerin/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 30 September 1994, Shannon was the site of the "[[Boris Yeltsin circling over Shannon diplomatic incident|circling over Shannon]]" diplomatic incident involving Russian President [[Boris Yeltsin]].

=== The "Shannon stopover" ===
In 1990, the U.S.-Irish bilateral agreement was changed to allow Irish airlines to serve Los Angeles and additional U.S. airlines to serve Dublin via Shannon. An amendment in 1993 allowed airlines to provide direct transatlantic services to Dublin, but 50% of transatlantic flights had to either originate or stop over in Shannon.{{cn|date=December 2023}} During the 1990s, the airport began to struggle. However, 1996 saw the beginning of [[Continental Airlines]] flying between Dublin, Shannon and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. Shannon began to rebound in the late 1990s with the success of the [[Economy of the Republic of Ireland|Irish economy]], the improving situation in [[The Troubles|Northern Ireland]] and an influx of American tourists.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

In 2005, an agreement was reached regarding a transitional period. Beginning in November 2006 and ending in April 2008, the agreement gradually eliminated restrictions on cargo services. For passenger service, it reduced the stopover requirement and allowed Irish airlines to serve three additional U.S. destinations.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

In 2007, the [[European Union]] and the U.S. announced that an agreement had been reached on an [[Freedoms of the air|open skies]] aviation policy ([[EU–US Open Skies Agreement]]). The agreement came into effect from 30 March 2008, leading to the abolition of the Shannon Stopover, although this would have happened under the 2005 agreement anyway.

=== 2000s ===
[[Ryanair]] increased services and passenger numbers at the airport until 2008. In 2007, Shannon carried 3.2 million passengers.{{cn|date=December 2023}} However, after a disagreement with the [[Dublin Airport Authority]] (DAA) in 2008, Ryanair announced that the number of based aircraft would be reduced from four to one and 150 jobs would be lost.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

[[CityJet]] launched a twice-daily route to [[Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport]] in 2008 when [[Aer Lingus]] closed its London [[Heathrow Airport|Heathrow]] flights. The company based an [[Avro RJ]]85 at Shannon. More services were under consideration, including a route to London City Airport; however CityJet pulled out of Shannon in October 2009 after Aer Lingus reinstated its Heathrow flights.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

=== Independent operation, 2012 to present ===
[[File:Shannon Airport and Free Zone.png|thumbnail|Map of the airport]]
[[File:Shannon Airport - Terminal and control tower - geograph.org.uk - 1637715.jpg|thumb|right|[[Control tower]] at Shannon Airport]]
In December 2012, it was announced that Shannon Airport would separate from the [[Dublin Airport Authority]], which still owns Dublin and Cork airports. On 31 December 2012 at 11:59&nbsp;pm, Shannon Airport became a publicly owned commercial airport and is now operated and run by the Shannon Airport Authority plc. Shannon announced a target in 2012 to grow its passenger numbers to 2.5 million annually within five years. However, Shannon has fallen short of its stated targeted figure with just 1.74 million flying through the airport in 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/shannon-group-falls-short-of-targets-set-five-years-ago-1.3394947|title=Shannon Group falls short of targets set five years ago|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |access-date=6 April 2019|archive-date=9 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109035135/https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/shannon-group-falls-short-of-targets-set-five-years-ago-1.3394947|url-status=live}}</ref>

In March 2013, the new company appointed [[Neil Pakey]] as its first CEO. Traffic figures for June 2013 report an 8% increase on the previous year, the first time a traffic increase has been recorded in three years. On 21 March 2013, [[Ryanair]] announced a new twice-weekly route to [[Alicante]], Spain, to begin on 5 June for the summer months. That brought Shannon's total to 33 seasonal scheduled summer routes. In August 2013, Aer Lingus announced a 1x weekly service to [[Lanzarote]], [[Canary Islands]], Spain, every Saturday during the winter months, using an A320. In October 2013, United Airlines confirmed it will increase capacity by 88% on its Shannon-Chicago route for 2014.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} In late 2013, Aer Lingus announced 2 new routes to [[Málaga]], Spain, (two weekly) and to [[Bristol]], UK, (one daily). Ryanair also announced 8 new routes from Shannon to continental Europe. The new routes began from the start of April 2014, and a second Boeing 737-800 was based at Shannon to accommodate the extra 300,000 passengers a year it would bring in. The destinations announced were [[Berlin Schönefeld Airport|Berlin Schonefeld]], [[Beauvais–Tillé Airport|Beauvais]], [[Memmingen Airport|Memmingen]], [[Warsaw Modlin Airport|Warsaw Modlin]], [[Kraków John Paul II International Airport|Kraków]], [[Nice Côte d'Azur Airport|Nice]], [[Faro Airport|Faro]], and [[Fuerteventura Airport|Fuerteventura]].

On 4 July 2014, the "Bank of Ireland Runway Night Run" featured 1,200 people running along Shannon's runway to raise money for charity.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bank of Ireland Runway Night Run|url=http://www.shannonairport.ie/gns/about-us/BankOfIrelandRunwayNightRun.aspx|access-date=28 July 2014|publisher=Shannon Airport|date=5 July 2014|archive-date=1 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701053314/http://www.shannonairport.ie/gns/about-us/BankOfIrelandRunwayNightRun.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

In late 2014, Aer Lingus Regional operator [[Stobart Air]] said that they would close their Shannon base in early 2015. They returned in June 2015 operating six flights weekly Birmingham service followed by six flights weekly [[Edinburgh]] service. In late 2015, they announced a new CEO for Shannon, Matthew Thomas. Ryanair announced that it will be ending its Paris and Memmingen routes in late 2016, and it also reduced its [[Manchester]] and [[London Stansted]] routes. Ryanair is aiming for 720,000 passengers in Summer 2017 even though they were close to 800,000 in Summer 2016. In October 2016, SAS announced a new route to Stockholm from 1 August 2017 to 7 October 2017. Shortly after that, [[Lufthansa]] announced a weekly service to Frankfurt, running from April to October in 2017. In September 2017, Ryanair announced a new Route to Reus. It will run through summer 2018 operating 2x weekly (Tuesdays and Saturdays), replacing the route to Berlin. The same day, Air Canada announced a new 4x weekly service to Toronto with the [[Boeing 737 MAX]]. In February 2018, Ryanair announced it would resume flights to Bristol and Liverpool from May 2018. In late 2018, Ryanair announced a new twice weekly service to Ibiza, and the resumption of flights to East Midlands, both beginning in April 2019. The East Midlands, Bristol and Ibiza flights are all being ceased at the end of the 2019 summer season due to fears of Brexit and the 737 MAX groundings.{{citation needed |date=October 2019}} Due to the 737 MAX groundings, Air Canada and Norwegian Airlines suspended their routes to Shannon. This reduced the number of passenger by 120,000.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/shannon-region-may-lose-58m-due-to-grounding-of-boeing-737-max-1.3957368 |title=Shannon region may lose €58m due to grounding of Boeing 737 Max |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |access-date=14 November 2021 |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506035952/https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/shannon-region-may-lose-58m-due-to-grounding-of-boeing-737-max-1.3957368 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 23 October 2019, Lauda announced that they will launch a twice weekly flight to Shannon from their base in Vienna, operating every Wednesday and Saturday.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hospitalityireland.com/general-industry/lauda-announces-new-route-shannon-vienna-81741 |title=Lauda Announces New Route Between Shannon And Vienna |date=24 October 2019 |access-date=14 November 2021 |archive-date=14 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114215235/https://www.hospitalityireland.com/general-industry/lauda-announces-new-route-shannon-vienna-81741 |url-status=live }}</ref> The airport handled 1,864,762 passengers in 2018. This number is the highest passenger numbers since gaining independence from the DAA.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.clare.fm/news/aviation/shannon-group-logs-pre-tax-profits-e12-7-million-2018/ |title=Shannon Group Logs Pre-Tax Profits Of €12.7 Million In 2018 |date=30 April 2019 |access-date=14 November 2021 |archive-date=14 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114221601/https://www.clare.fm/news/aviation/shannon-group-logs-pre-tax-profits-e12-7-million-2018/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.shannon-airport.com/ |title=Shannon Airport (SNN) |access-date=14 November 2021 |archive-date=14 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114221610/https://www.shannon-airport.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Usage for military stopovers ===
Shannon Airport has a history of foreign military use. A large part of its business in recent years has been military stopovers, currently almost all American; however, the airport was also frequently used by the Soviet military until the 1990s, since Ireland, having a traditional policy of military neutrality, was not a member of [[NATO]]. There were some restrictions, such as carrying no arms, ammunition, or explosives, and that the flights in question did not form part of military exercises or operations. Shannon saw military transports throughout the [[Cold War]] and during the first [[Gulf War]].

In the aftermath of the [[September 11 attacks]], the [[Irish government]] offered the use of Shannon to the [[Federal government of the United States|US government]]. When the United States invaded [[Iraq]] in 2003, the government still allowed [[United States Armed Forces]] to use the airport. This caused controversy and was the subject of protests and a challenge brought to the [[High Court (Ireland)|High Court]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/markup.cgi?doc=/ie/cases/IEHC/2003/64.html |title=High Court of Ireland Decisions |publisher=Bailii.org |access-date=15 January 2014 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923181902/http://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/markup.cgi?doc=%2Fie%2Fcases%2FIEHC%2F2003%2F64.html |url-status=live }}</ref> As of November 2008, approximately 1.2 million troops had passed through Shannon since the beginning of the [[Iraq War]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1106/1225893547102.html |title=Almost 200,000 troops use Shannon |publisher=Irishtimes.com |date=6 November 2008 |access-date=3 October 2015 |archive-date=21 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021212601/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1106/1225893547102.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2012–2013, the military flight contracts are held by [[Omni Air International]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/the-us-militarys-international-airlift-contracts-05066/ |title=The US Military's International Airlift Contracts |publisher=Defense Industry Daily, LLC |access-date=3 October 2015 |archive-date=28 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928174919/https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/the-us-militarys-international-airlift-contracts-05066/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 6 December 2005, the [[BBC]] programme ''[[Newsnight]]'' alleged that Shannon was used on at least 33 occasions by United States [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) [[rendition aircraft#Shannon Airport, Ireland|flights]], thought to be part of a US policy called [[extraordinary rendition by the United States|extraordinary rendition]]. ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported the number to be 33, though referring to "Ireland" rather than Shannon, while [[Amnesty International]] has alleged the number of flights to be 50. [[Casement Aerodrome]] has seen similar reports. The United States and Ireland have denied these allegations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thejournal.ie/gilmore-accepts-us-assurance-of-no-rendition-flights-through-shannon-231876-Sep2011/ |title=Gilmore accepts US assurance of no rendition flights through Shannon |publisher=Thejournal.ie |date=20 September 2011 |access-date=15 January 2014 |archive-date=16 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116102550/http://www.thejournal.ie/gilmore-accepts-us-assurance-of-no-rendition-flights-through-shannon-231876-Sep2011/ |url-status=live }}</ref> German [[Khaled El-Masri]], who was mistakenly tortured by the CIA after being abducted by the Macedonian police, was taken to an Afghan [[black site]] by a plane which had stopped at Shannon Airport on its way to North Macedonia to pick him up. In response, Amnesty International Ireland reported that "the Irish Government knew that the CIA used Shannon Airport as part of their renditions operations" and called for an independent investigation into the use of Shannon Airport for extraordinary renditions operation by the USA.<ref>{{cite news |title=Plane used to transfer unlawfully detained man landed at Shannon |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/shannon-airport-man-detained-714091-Dec2012/ |agency=Journal.ie}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Abduction plane stopped in Shannon |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/abduction-plane-stopped-in-shannon-26338273.html |agency=Irish Independent}}</ref>

After a call by the [[Irish Human Rights Commission]] that the Irish government inspect aircraft supposed to be a part of the US extraordinary rendition program, the Minister for Foreign Affairs [[Dermot Ahern]] rejected these proposals. In a leaked [[diplomatic cable]] written by US Ambassador to Ireland [[Thomas C. Foley]], Foley reported that Ahern thought it "might not be a bad idea to allow the random inspection of a few planes to proceed, which would provide cover if a rendition flight ever surfaced. He seemed quite convinced that at least three flights involving renditions had refueled at Shannon Airport before or after conducting renditions elsewhere".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Reilly |first1=Gavan |title=Ahern suspected US carried prisoners through Shannon: WikiLeaks |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/ahern-suspected-us-carried-prisoners-through-shannon-wikileaks-59178-Dec2010/ |work=The Journal |date=10 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Phelan |first1=Shane |title=Wikileaks: Memo tells of Ahern's rendition fears |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/wikileaks-memo-tells-of-aherns-rendition-fears/26607357.html |work=[[Irish Independent]] |date=17 December 2010}}</ref>