Ryanair has confirmed a 50 million euros investment at Shannon Airport (SNN) as part of a wider airport expansion that will deliver a new four-bay maintenance hangar and a dedicated engineering academy, generating 80 apprenticeships and training opportunities for more than 400 aircraft mechanics from 2027. The project, backed by Enterprise Ireland, will expand Ryanair’s existing three-bay facility and strengthen Shannon’s position as one of Ireland’s leading engineering hubs.
Airport Expansion and Training Academy
The investment will fund a new four-bay aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hangar, making it Ryanair’s largest aircraft maintenance facility in Ireland. This will be significantly bigger than its current three-bay facility at the airport that employs a workforce of over 200.
The airline says the expanded maintenance base will support long-term fleet growth and deepen its engineering footprint in Ireland, alongside a new Dublin hangar announced earlier this year.
Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson said the expansion will:
“create hundreds of highly skilled engineering jobs while training the next generation of aircraft mechanics in Ireland,”
He added that Enterprise Ireland’s support would help deliver:
“long-term aviation growth in the Shannon region.”
Regional Impact and Government Backing
Shannon Airport Group described the move as a major boost for the region’s aviation industry, noting that today, Shannon Airport and the adjacent Shannon Airport Business Park together support Ireland’s largest aviation cluster, with almost 100 companies operating across the campus. CEO Ray O’Driscoll said the scale of the proposal reflects the depth of engineering capability built at Shannon over decades. Enterprise Ireland Chief Executive Jenny Melia said the investment further strengthens Ireland’s position as a centre of excellence for aviation.
Irish Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke welcomed the establishment of the new engineering academy, stating that the announcement is a demonstration of Irish multinational ambition in action.
The project is still subject to planning approval, with construction expected to begin in early 2027 and the new facility is projected to begin operations in late 2028.
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