Kuwait Airways has announced a new transit service in Ireland on its New York/JFK route.

The service, starting on Friday June 24th, will operate three times a week on a Boeing 777-200.

It is thought this will boost the airport's passenger numbers.

This is the first time ever that Kuwait Airways will have a footprint in Ireland.

A transit passenger is a passenger who stops over for no more than 24 hours at a midpoint between the departure and destination points.

Welcoming the announcement Andrew Murphy, chief commercial officer at Shannon Group, said: "Securing this transit operation opens up the possibility of further developments with the airline. We will be working closely with them to explore further opportunities."

Confirming the new service Philip Saunders, chief commercial officer at Kuwait Airways, said: "We are delighted to be working with Shannon Airport on this initiative."

"The entire airport community have responded quickly and pro-actively to our requirements allowing this change in the service to be implemented seamlessly."

"We are looking forward to being able to offer the time-saving US Preclearance service at the earliest opportunity and to a successful partnership with Shannon Airport," he added.

Kuwait Airways operates scheduled international services throughout the Middle East, to the Indian subcontinent, Europe, Southeast Asia and North America, from its main base at Kuwait International Airport.