8.5 | Shannon International Airport The second largest airport in Ireland with a capacity of 4.5 million passengers annually, Shannon International Airport is a strategic national asset. It serves a catchment area beyond the Mid-West and is experiencing significant growth. The Airport has the longest runway in the country allowing it to cater for fully-laden flights to Asia and South America and is the only airport in the country operating with no flight time restrictions.
Research by the ESRI shows that foreign firm’s value airport access above access to motorways. Access to airports is particularly important for high tech FDI and knowledge intensive firms, key drivers for economic development. The importance of Shannon International Airport is also evident in the fact that over 40% of US FDI companies in Ireland are within the airport’s catchment area. The IASC is a significant part of the aviation industry and the Limerick-Shannon MASP recognises and supports the role of IASC as a significant opportunity to be a truly global player in the aerospace industry. The MASP supports the continued sustainable development and investment in the airports surrounding land bank, zoned in the Shannon Town LAP to act as a catalyst for economic growth in the Region.
International Aviation Services Centre (IASC)
aviation industry cluster in and around the airport campus.
Shannon International Airport and the Shannon Free Zone are home to the IASC, the largest aerospace cluster in Ireland. IASC is home to over 60 companies and employs over 2,600 people in Shannon. The worldwide aircraft fleet is expected to double in the next 20 years, and there is a unique opportunity for Ireland to become a global leader in aerospace and aviation services sector, with Shannon at the heart of this endeavour. Shannon Group has secured planning permission to build a wide body aircraft paint hangar at Shannon International Airport. This is in accordance with the National Aviation Policy to “encourage the development of the IASC at Shannon”. This will be the first new widebody hangar constructed at an Irish airport in over 20 years and will assist the growth of a globally recognised and internationally competitive
The Limerick-Shannon MASP recognises and supports the role of IASC as a significant opportunity to become a truly global player in the aerospace industry. The MASP supports the development of the IASC cluster at Shannon as recognised in National Aviation Policy and aims to ensure that cross-agency cooperation will continue to develop IASC at Shannon to meet industry demand. Multi-agency collaboration is required to improve and develop the infrastructure to support the development of the IASC cluster. Further development of maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) related infrastructure would be important to support the future development of the IASC cluster and the spin off industries in the Metropolitan Area and wider region.
Southern Regional Assembly | RSES
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