Editing Shannon Airport (section)

=== 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>