Airport installs new carousel for out of gauge items ahead of Adare tournament.

THERE’S already been an increase in golfing visits to Limerick ahead of the Ryder Cup next year.

So much so, said commercial director of the Shannon Airport Group Vanessa McTigue, that a special carousel has already been introduced to help with large golf bags coming in from Transatlantic flights.

The local airport is positioning itself as the “gateway to golf”, she said, with building works ongoing.

“If you go through Shannon today, you’ll see a lot of work going on, you’ll see a lot of hoarding up. There is a €40m development plan going on. There is nothing like a deadline such as the Ryder Cup to make sure the contractors are on time and everything is shipshape,” Ms McTigue told a special event at the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) in Moylish.

There is a deadline of April next year to have work completed, she added.

As part of this, Shannon Airport will see a brand new baggage hall, plus dedicated passport control entrances for passengers arriving from Europe and the USA.

“It’s going to be a very tight logistical operation for the airport. We still are trying to get a handle on the amount of traffic we are going to have coming through. We expect a lot of general aviation, private jet traffic. We are trying to understand will they need parking spaces or will they be dropping golfers and then taking off? We are working with Ryder Cup Europe on getting some information so we are prepared. And our ground handlers will manage the flow of traffic,” Ms McTigue added.

She added that Shannon Airport has the capacity for extra traffic, with its terminal being able to accommodate up to five million passengers.

The local airport will see its first influx of Ryder Cup visitors this autumn when the ‘Year to Go’ event is held.

“We are ready. We are the gateway to golf, be it for the Irish Open, the Walker Cup, the Ryder Cup. We want people to use Shannon, and remember Shannon as being on the doorstep of Adare,” Ms McTigue added.

Management in the airport are conscious that for many visiting Ireland for the first time, their first impression will be the airport terminal in Shannon.

“So we want to make sure it’s seamless, and make sure we put our best foot forward,” she added. Elsewhere in Shannon Airport, Ms McTigue said it’s hoped that American Airlines will be back after five years.

“We are really working hard to get a Canadian connection into Shannon, into Toronto ideally. That would facilitate a lot of businesses here, and support communities in the region,” she said.

From LimerickLive

By Nick Rabbitts

Published 18th Jun 2026, 08:00 BST