This article is from page 4 of the 2007-11-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
IT APPEARS that the decision to grant commercial independence to Shannon Airport is being rushed through without any proper evalua- tion of the airport’s ability to stand on its own, according to a Clare TD.
Pat Breen (FG) told the Dail that the airport may need €250 million to sustain its future needs.
“Shannon Airport faces an uncer- tain future with 320,000 passengers wiped off the Heathrow route, no guarantees on transatlantic passen- gers, Significant capital cost projec- tions, a dependency on military traf-
fic and an over-reliance on low-cost operations,’ he said.
In recent days, the Shannon Air- port Authority (SAA) lodged the air- port’s business plan with the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) in order to achieve independence and the Minis- ter for Transport, Noel Dempsey also received a copy.
However, Deputy Breen expressed concern that the independence of the airport was being rushed through in order “to deflect attention from the Government’s inaction on Shannon”.
Deputy Breen pointed out that “the extension of car parks, resurfacing the main runway and taxi-ways and
replacing air bridges cost money. When one lands at Shannon one no- tices many temporary buildings in a dilapidated state, all of which require refurbishment.”
On the effect of the “Open Skies” aviation deal on transatlantic routes, Deputy Breen said: “The reality is that direct seats sold from the US into Shannon are falling year by year, down from 577,000 in 2006 to 442,000 for 2007, with projections of 355,000 direct seat sales for 2008.
“The previous Minister told us in Shannon that we should embrace the opportunity, that aircraft were sitting in 22 new US airports ready to take
off and that we would share in that Le LURSIB ELSE
“They have not landed in Shan- non, the story there is very differ- ent. American Airlines has ceased its Shannon operation. US Airways did not operate for the winter and the Aer Lingus chief executive, Dermot Mannion, has only given a guarantee of direct trans-Atlantic flights from Shannon up to October 2008.
‘Therefore it is important that be- fore any decision on the break up is finalised, the airport’s ability to fund its future capital investments should be addressed,” Deputy Breen con- cluded.