Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair has an early Christmas present for Shannon Airport as it begins the preparations of launching two new Mediterranean flight services to Italy and Portugal by next year's summer season. The latest flight services will see Ryanair operating approximately 35% more capacities from Shannon Airport next summer compared to the capacities offered earlier this summer.Celebrating the announcement was the Chief Executive Officer of The Shannon Airport Group, Mary Considine, as she highlighted:

"This is fantastic news for our passengers and another win for Shannon Airport due to the hard work of our Aviation Development team. The new destinations will provide further connectivity for Shannon and the region and emphasize Shannon's continued growth since the pandemic."

From Shannon to Naples

The first of two new Mediterranean services will be flights from Shannon Airport to Naples International Airport, beginning on March 26th. The flights are scheduled twice weekly on Wednesdays and Sundays. On Wednesdays, FR 2988 will take-off from Shannon Airport at approximately 11:50, making the three and a half hours non-stop flight journey before landing at Naples Airport at about 16:15.

After some ground time, returning to Shannon would be FR 2987, departing from Naples at 16:40 before arriving back at Shannon Airport at approximately 19:05. Whereas on Sundays, the flight to Naples will depart from Shannon Airport at 07:55 and touch down at 12:20. The return leg will then leave Naples at 12:45 and arrive home at 15:10.

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From Shannon to Porto

If traveling to Italy isn't on your itinerary next year, fret not because Ryanair will also be flying to Porto from Shannon, and similar to the Shannon-Naples route, flights will begin on March 26th and operate on the same twice-weekly schedule. The slight difference, other than the destination, would be the timings; for Porto, the morning flights are on Wednesdays.

According to the budget carrier's booking site, Ryanair flight FR 3177 will take-off from Shannon Airport at around 09:10, making the nearly two-and-a-half-hour non-stop flight journey and arriving at Porto Airport at approximately 11:25. The returning flight FR 3176 will depart at 06:30 before landing at Shannon Airport at around 08:45.

As for the Sunday schedule, the first leg of the flight is planned for departure at 18:35 and touching down at Porto Airport at around 20:50. The returning leg of the flight will then depart from Porto Airport at 21:15 and arrive home at Shannon Airport at 23:30.

Ryanair Boeing 737-800
Photo: Getty Images

Celebrating 35 years with Shannon Airport

Including flights to Naples and Porto, the low-cost carrier will operate a current total of 26 routes out of Shannon Airport next summer and more than 180 weekly flights - signaling a 35% capacity growth compared to its offerings this past summer. And just recently last month, Ryanair also announced a third based aircraft for Shannon and two new flight services to Beziers and Newcastle for next summer.

Celebrating alongside Considine was Ryanair's Dara Brady, as she also highlighted:

"With Easter and Summer ’23 fast approaching, we are delighted to be bringing even more choice and value to our customers in the mid-west of the country with the addition of 2 new routes to our Summer ‘23 schedule for Shannon. We'll deliver over 180 weekly flights across an unbeatable selection of exciting must-see sunny hotspots and vibrant city break destinations across Europe."

The ramped-up summer schedule follows the airport's biggest-ever Ryanair winter schedule, which currently sees 60 weekly flights to a mix of sun, ski, and city break destinations. And all the exciting announcements surrounding Shannon Airport come as the budget carrier is celebrating 35 years of successful flight operations from the airport, having transported over 18 million passengers to date.

  • Ryanair Boeing 737
    Ryanair
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    FR/RYR
    Airline Type:
    Low-Cost Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Dublin Airport, London Stansted Airport, Milan Bergamo Airport
    Year Founded:
    1985
    Airline Group:
    Ryanair Group
    CEO:
    Eddie Wilson
    Country:
    Ireland