DotM April 2026

Airport:  EINN - Shannon Airport, Ireland 

When transatlantic flight began in the 1930s it was primarily via flying boats that could land on water near shore, refuel, then take off again.  A flying boat terminal in Ireland was one of the last possible stops before longer legs of the flight were required to reach Iceland, Greenland, and then Newfoundland.  As changing technology emerged the advent of a permanent runway was realized so the Government of Ireland sanctioned the building of Shannon Airport, finished in 1942.  In 1945 the runway was extended for newer jets that could bypass Greenland and land at Gander.  The first transatlantic proving flight happened in Sept 1945 with a Pan Am DC-4 flying London-Shannon-Gander-New York. 

Despite new long range aircraft such as the Boeing 747, Shannon continued to see usage as a stopover point until the 2020s.  Primarily it was US military aircraft or charters flying troops to/from the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan, but British Airways actually had a business-class only flight using Airbus A318 jets that originated at London City Airport and flew to JFK.  While the number of flights coming in has diminished due to a lack of need for this stopover point, passenger traffic continues to increase at the airport.  The airport sees usage throughout the year, but primarily during the summer months when Ireland’s cooler temps make it a getaway place for Europeans, primarily from Spain and Portugal.