This article is from page 20 of the 2008-12-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 20 JPG
THE chambers of commerce in the mid-west have come out in force to welcome the news that the Heathrow slots are to return to Shannon.
The American Chamber of Com- merce mid west region has welcomed the news saying that the region must now capitalise on the opportunities this, and other recent developments at the Airport present.
Chairman Bill Doherty, © said; “Shannon Airport, with connectiv- ity to both Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle, together with daily transat- lantic flights and the strong presence
of Ryanair is at its strongest for many years. Business and tourism inter- ests, working together with the man- agement at Shannon Airport must now capitalise on the opportunities presented by daily connectivity to two of the busiest airports in Europe as well as the granting of full Cus- toms and Border Protection (CBP) pre-clearance facilities for transat- lantic services to the US. *
He added that the “pre-clearance facilities at Shannon will make it easier for airlines to do business in Ireland and will save time for busi- ness people travelling between Ire- land and the US. It also opens other
opportunities for the airport in terms of attracting corporate aviation and freight services to Shannon to avail of this facility.”
Ennis Chamber CEO, Rita MclIner- ney, said that the announcement is “a major boost for business in this re- gion. We’re absolutely delighted and we would hope that it might increase from two slots to four again.”
And she urged business people to “come out and support the route. A lot of people may have made other ar- rangements by now, and while we’re not impressed with what Aer Lingus did, we should support the service now as a business community.
Particularly with the early morning flight out and the evening return, this route was very successful before it was pulled.”
President of Limerick Chamber Sean Lally stated, “We are delight- ed to welcome Aer Lingus back to Shannon Airport. This is something which we have continued to lobby for on behalf of our members since the routes were discontinued 12 months ago.
“The restoration of these flights is a clear indicator that the region has both the critical mass and com- mercial viability to warrant their re- ate