The history of Shannon Airport

The duty-free was just one of many firsts for this famous airport

apron 1960’s

• Late 1930s, transatlantic flights used a flying boat terminal at Foynes on the south side of the Shannon Estuary
• By 1945 the country’s first transatlantic airport was established at Shannon to meet the demands of developing aircraft technology with a permanent runway and airport
• 16 September 1945 the first transatlantic proving flight, a Pan Am DC-4, landed at Shannon from New York City.
• 24 October 1945, the first scheduled commercial flight, an American Overseas Airlines DC-4, passed through the airport.

Figure 15 ul001-S1-0001

• 1947, it became world’s first duty-free airport.
• By the 1960s many international carriers used Shannon and it became known as the gateway between Europe and the Americas – few aircraft could make the journey without refuelling here.
• 1986 a United States border preclearance facility was opened here, eliminating the need to go through immigration on arrival in the United States.
• November 2008, it was announced that customs and agriculture inspections would be added.
• 1 March 2010, Shannon Airport became the first airport outside the US to offer US Customs and Border Protection to private aircraft, yet another world’s first.