THE NUMBER of US troops going through Shannon airport in the first quarter of this year increased by almost 150 per cent on the corresponding period last year.
Figures released by the Shannon Airport Authority yesterday show that 66,667 US troops on 495 flights passed through the airport between January and March - an increase of 144 per cent on the 27,070 troops that used the airport's facilities for the same period last year.
The figures show that 21,019 troops went through in March; 18,830 in February and 26,818 in January. If current troop levels are maintained for the remainder of 2008, Shannon airport looks on course to exceed last year's total of 262,816 troops.
Troop levels going through Shannon dropped during the first half of last year, however this trend was reversed after US troop carrier Omni Air significantly increased the number of aircraft going through Shannon to 100 a month.
Another of the carriers that moves troops through Shannon, American Transair, (ATA) was declared bankruptcy last week and ceased operations immediately. Its demise is expected to have minimal effect on the numbers of US troops going through Shannon.
A spokesman for the Shannon Airport Authority said yesterday: "The authority regrets the difficulties that ATA finds itself in as the airport has had a long relationship with ATA that dates back to the 1980s through charter flights and transit flights."
It is understood the percentage of US troops which Transair moved through Shannon was low and that any money that might be owed to the authority as a result of its bankruptcy is also low.
Last year, the number of US troops using Shannon as a stop-off passed the one million mark since the US war started in Iraq.
The authority does not release the profits made from the US troop traffic, but it is estimated it made €7 million last year through the troop business. This follows the estimated profit of €16.4 million from the troop traffic in 2006 and 2005.
Last December, Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan confirmed that more than €7 million had been spent on preventing incursions to Shannon airport from anti-war activists over the past two years. He said €4.69 million was spent on policing arrangements at Shannon last year.
