An airline passenger travelling to Roscommon and Galway to visit family last week became the 12 millionth Ryanair passenger through Ireland West Airport since it began operations to/from the airport in 1986.
Alison Lynch from London travelled on Ryanair’s London Stansted service. To mark the 12 millionth occasion she was presented with a Ryanair flight voucher, a bottle of champagne and chocolates.
It’s been 39 years since Ryanair’s first flight from Knock Airport departed for London Luton on December 16th, 1986. At the time, the west of Ireland gained its first direct link with London when the Ryanair 748 aircraft ‘The Spirit of Monsignor Horan’ landed at Knock Airport, heralding the start of scheduled services between the airport and London.
Named after Monsignor James Horan, the visionary priest behind Knock Airport, the 44-seat turboprop aircraft was formally blessed by Monsignor Horan’s successor, Fr. Dominick Grealy.
Through the late 1980s and 1990s, Ryanair’s presence underpinned the airport’s development, helping passenger numbers pass 100,000 by 1988 and sustaining crucial UK connectivity.
In the 2000s, their network broadened further, introducing the airport’s first scheduled services to Europe, with new routes to the likes of Barcelona, Faro, Alicante, Milan and Cologne, all of which continue to go from strength to strength — providing connectivity to major international markets from the west of Ireland.
In particular, over the last decade, the partnership has continued to grow. Ryanair marked its six millionth passenger at Ireland West in 2015, then celebrated 10 million in May 2023—all paving the way to last week’s 12 million passenger milestone. The airline now serves 17 destinations from the airport.
This winter, Ryanair will operate 86 weekly flights across 10 routes to/from the airport, including winter sun hotspots like Lanzarote, Malaga, and Tenerife, as well as top city break destinations like Edinburgh, Liverpool, and London.
Marking the milestone, Ryanair’s Director of Communications, Jade Kirwan, said: “We are delighted to mark 12 million Ryanair passengers through Ireland West Airport since Ryanair began operations to/from Knock in 1986. This significant milestone showcases Ryanair’s continued support and investment in the region, delivering critically important connectivity, traffic, tourism, jobs, and economic growth.”
Joe Gilmore, the airport’s managing director, added that it was “another significant milestone in the airport’s history. It’s been a fantastic journey over the last 39 years with so many great highlights and milestones achieved along the way. As we look ahead to next year and the 40th anniversary of the airport’s official opening, we look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship with Ryanair and expanding our range of services over the coming years.”