Summer 2013 improved again for Shannon Airport in July when it achieved growth for the second successive month, with a 9.4 percent overall increase in passenger numbers compared on the same month last year.

Overall passenger numbers for July were 173,558, up from 158,603 in the same month last year.  The increase built on the 8% hike in month-over-month passenger numbers for June – the first time in five years that the airport experienced growth and just six months after setting out as an independent entity.

Like June, the growth was most telling in the transatlantic market, with overall passenger growth arising from the airport’s five US and one Canadian (Toronto) service increasing from 38,781 in July 2012 to 54,014 last month, a 39 percent increase.

Welcoming the figures for July, Shannon Airport CEO Neil Pakey said: “We are delighted to have achieved a second successive month of growth at Shannon. The figures very much reflect the enhanced level of services delivered at Shannon this year, not least on US destinations thanks to new routes to Philadelphia and Chicago, on top of already having Newark, JFK and Boston services.

“This has been very positive for tourism market here, from Cork right up to the North West as Shannon is the only airport on the entire western seaboard with transatlantic services.

“The increase is all the more encouraging given the anecdotal reports from travel agents here that the good weather caused a lot of people to holiday at home rather than book last minute trips to the sun, which would have pushed our figures up even higher.

“Generally, we have received very positive reports from hoteliers and other accommodation providers across this region on the summer season.  They have done better than they expected from the domestic market because of the good weather but, on top of that, have benefited from the big increase in US visitors coming through Shannon.

“This has really driven growth as US visitor spends a lot more than tourists from any other country so we are delighted to have made this contribution and are focussed on keeping up the momentum.”