Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair opened its first heavy maintenance facility in Ireland at Shannon Airport (SNN). The €10 million ($10.5 million) investment comes as the airline prepares to grow its fleet to 600 aircraft by 2026. 

The opening of a new 3-bay 56,187 square-feet (5,220 square-meter) aircraft maintenance facility, announced on May 18, 2022, is set to create as many as 200 jobs for aircraft engineers, mechanics, and plane maintenance support staff.  

Mary Considine, the chief executive of Shannon Group, which runs the SNN airport, said Ryanair’s lease of one of ten 3-bay hangars in the area was a “vote of confidence” in the airport. 

“The resulting jobs and investment are also consistent with our strategic plan to increase economic growth and retain skills and talent in the region,” Considine was quoted as saying in the statement. “We have a close relationship with Ryanair, with Shannon Airport now having more destinations served by Ryanair than in 2019.” 

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On May 16, 2022, the airline published a report of its performance for the financial year to March 31, 2022, where it reported a net loss of €355 million ($370 million) and said recovery was “fragile”.  

Despite recent setbacks such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Omicron variant of COVID-19, Ryanair said it aims to operate more capacity in summer 2022 than it did pre-pandemic. It has also sped up the delivery of 737 MAX aircraft to try and capture market share as travel demand recovers. 

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