- Ryanair secured fast track planning permission for a €50m four-bay maintenance hangar at Shannon.
- The project will create 400 jobs.
- The council granted permission six days after receiving further information.
- The new facility will be Ryanair’s largest aircraft maintenance facility in Ireland.
- The project includes a Ryanair Engineering Academy with 80 new apprenticeship roles.
Ryanair has secured fast track planning permission from Clare County Council for the construction of a new €50m four-bay aircraft maintenance hangar at Shannon Airport. The planning authority issued the rapid grant of permission for the project that is to create 400 jobs after Ryanair warned earlier this month that it would move the €50m investment to Poland if the project was subject to planning delays. The council granted planning permission only six days after receiving further information on 14 October from Ryanair firm Wonderlight Ltd concerning its plan to erect a two-metre high berm for the storage of contaminated soils at the hangar site.
The Council had told the Ryanair firm that it had serious concerns arising from the proposed berm’s proximity to sensitive environmental receptors including indirectly the Shannon estuary. A council planner’s report following the further information stated that sufficient information has now been provided in relation to the management of contaminated soils and the design and integrity of the proposed containment berm. The planning authority concluded that the proposed development would not injure the amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity.
The new four-bay aircraft Maintenance Repair and Overhaul hangar at Shannon Airport will be Ryanair’s largest aircraft maintenance facility in Ireland. Ryanair currently operates a three-bay aircraft maintenance hangar at Shannon Airport with a workforce of over 200. The new project will include a new Ryanair Engineering Academy which will see the creation of 80 new apprenticeship roles and support the training of over 400 additional aircraft mechanics between 2027 and 2031.
Neal McMahon shared “Ryanair is ready to invest €50m in Shannon and create new high-skilled jobs but we will not accept planning delays or bureaucracy. This is a major opportunity for Shannon and the wider region, building on our existing engineering operation and supporting the next generation of aircraft mechanics.”
