Shannon Airport wins OPEX gong at Aviation Industry Awards

Shannon Airport, an international airport on the west coast of Ireland, has been named winner of the Operational Excellence in Aviation award at the prestigious Aviation Industry Awards.

The award honors aviation organizations in Ireland that have demonstrated exceptional operational excellence (OPEX) and performance over the past year, celebrating those who set industry benchmarks in efficiency, customer service, sustainability, and global competitiveness.

Shannon Airport is the most westerly international airport in Europe and is notable for having the longest runway in the country and full US pre-clearance, allowing travelers to clear American customs before their flight. The airport was established in 1945 and is the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland.

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Shannon Airport wins OPEX award

“We are delighted to receive this Aviation Industry Award for Operational Excellence as it recognizes our commitment to really important areas such as innovation, customer service improvements, growth, and sustainability initiatives,” commented Chris O’Donovan, HR director of The Shannon Airport Group. “It’s a fantastic reflection of the dedication shown every day by our team, who consistently place passengers, safety, and customer experience at the heart of everything they do.”

The award builds on The Shannon Airport Group’s recent success at the Chambers Ireland Awards where it won the Environment & Biodiversity category for its Thady’s Hill conservation grazing project.

In July, the Group also celebrated retaining its position as Ireland’s top airport brand for the third consecutive year in the RED C Brand Reaction Index (BRI) Ireland 2025. The Group is also nominated for Public Enterprise of the Year at the upcoming Business & Finance Awards.

OPEX is critical for modern airports

OPEX is increasingly critical for modern airports because they sit at the intersection of safety-critical operations, complex logistics, and high customer expectations. In practice, it affects safety, efficiency, profitability, and passenger satisfaction all at once.

In August, East Midlands Airport opened a new training academy to boost OPEX. The facility, located next to the airport’s main administrative HQ, includes four bright spacious training rooms with capacity to deliver to 68 learners at a time, along with a remote training room for delivering online learning and a new kitchen and rest area for colleagues.

In June, Brussels Airport celebrated 10 years of OPEX and innovation as it continues to adopt collaboration, data, and artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure safe and efficient operations. 

In April, Dubai Airports received the Operational Excellence Award from AirportLabs at Passenger Terminal Expo 2025. The award recognizes a decade of innovation that has transformed operations at the world’s busiest international airport, Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International (DWC), Dubai’s vision for the future of aviation.

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