Shannon airport last year experienced a record year in traffic growth despite US troop numbers dropping by 17 per cent.

Figures released by the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) yesterday showed that 2006 was the busiest year yet for Shannon. The total number of passengers exceeded 3.6 million, representing an increase of 10 per cent on 2005. The largest increase occurred on European routes, with a 25 per cent increase. This is attributable to Ryanair establishing a base at Shannon.

The figures also show that transatlantic traffic increased by 10 per cent, while UK traffic was up 11 per cent.According to a spokeswoman for the SAA, international traffic increased by 14 per cent to 2.88 million.

Some 280,785 US troops used the airport last year - a drop of 17 per cent, or 59,903 troops, from 2005. The airport made a profit of €9 million from troop traffic in 2005 and an estimated €7.4 million last year.

Troop figures for the second half of 2006 show there was a drop of 61 per cent from the same period in 2005. This follows the withdrawal in June of the main troop carrier, World Airways, which transferred its operations to Leipzig, Germany.