Passenger growth at Shannon airport has stalled following several years of double-digit growth.

According to end of year figures  released yesterday by the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA), passenger numbers at Shannon last year were 3.62 million, down marginally on the 2006 total of 3.63 million.

Shannon is set to lose 320,000 passengers on the Aer Lingus Shannon-Heathrow service after its final flight next Sunday, while compulsory stopovers for some transatlantic flights will be completely phased out by April.

The hiatus follows several years of growth since the launch of the Ryanair base at Shannon in 2005.

The airport enjoyed double-digit passenger growth of 37 per cent and 10 per cent in 2005 and 2006. However, with the phased ending of the Shannon stopover, transatlantic traffic last year dropped 4 per cent from 780,917 to 749,681. The ending of the stopover also caused a 50 per cent decline in passengers passing through Shannon while transiting between Dublin and the US.

However, international shorthaul traffic increased by 10 per cent, leading to a 6 per cent increase in international traffic, with almost 3.1 million arriving and departing from Shannon to international destinations.

The 3.62 million total includes 262,816 US troops that used the airport's facilities last year - down 7 per cent on the 2006 total.

The airport is becoming increasingly reliant on Ryanair, with more than two million passengers expected to fly to 31 destinations this year.

Airport director Martin Moroney said yesterday: "We are satisfied with the 2007 performance in the context of both the ending of the dual-gateway status for transatlantic services and the increasingly competitive aviation market in which we operate."