Airport to tackle parking shortage

SHANNON Airport is drawing up contingency plans to deal with a chronic shortage of car parking space.

With a 50% increase in passenger numbers in the two years up to 2007, the airport has been forced to slice into part of Shannon Golf Club lands, which it owns, to create additional hard surface parking.

At present the airport can cater for 5,000 cars at any one time.

Last year, traffic numbers topped the 3.1 million passenger mark, putting a huge strain on parking.

The airport does not expect the parking situation to disimprove significantly this year.

Passenger numbers are not expected to continue on an upward spiral due to the termination of the Aer Lingus Heathrow service and the introduction of Open Skies.

Airport spokesman Eugene Pratt said yesterday they are still pursuing options to expand parking facilities.

He said: “The old catering buildings are to be knocked and this will free up more than 200 additional car parking spaces.”

Over the past 18 months the car parking area has been expanded with the addition of more than 500 spaces.

Mr Pratt said the construction of a multi-storey car park would not be viable given the amount of car traffic in and out of the airport.

However, they are investigating the feasibility of erecting a pre-cast second storey of car park racking in the main car park area.

The temporary rack structure would stand on pillars, a system used in a number of smaller European airports.