A fully resourced, debt-free Shannon Airport should be a key objective of the forthcoming National Development Plan, according to the region's development agency.
In its annual report for 2005 published today, Shannon Development said the airport's catchment area needs to be expanded significantly and a multi-million euro tourism campaign be undertaken to promote Shannon as the regional gateway.
Chief executive Kevin Thompstone said: "Acceleration of growth and economic activity in the Shannon Region and along the Atlantic Corridor is critical if we are to achieve the national goal of balanced regional development.
"A transformation needs to take place in how the individual cities towns and rural areas in the Atlantic Corridor are viewed, by themselves as well as by the private sector and government departments and agencies.
"Developing a new approach to planning for and delivering world-class infrastructure links along the Atlantic Corridor is a critical first step towards achieving this transformation" he added.
In its report, the company said Shannon airport saw a record 3.3 million visitors in 2005, 900,000 passengers more than in any previous year.
The increased traffic through the airport was a result of new services from the United Kingdom and Europe by Ryanair, from Boston by American Airlines, and from Warsaw by Centralwings, the low-cost Polish airline.
At the end of 2005, overall employment in Shannon Development's portfolio of companies was 19,868, with 1,795 new jobs created - 450 at Shannon Free Zone and 1,345 by Irish-owned companies in the region.
When job losses were factored in, the net increase in employment was 50, the company said.