This article is from page 2 of the 2011-08-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
THE FUTURE of Shannon Airport can’t be about profit and can’t be about Ryanair – these twin messages were sounded out by Fianna Fáil this week as the county’s international airport prepares to unveil a new blueprint to chart its future over the next decade.
The party’s transport spokesperson, Clare’s own Deputy Timmy Dooley has told The Clare People that “pandering to the whims of Ryanair” should have no place in Shannon’s new business model.
Deputy Dooley has also warned the Dublin Airport Authority that any new drive “for profitability” or “break even situation” at Shannon Airport could signal the death knell of its seven-decade status as an international airport.
“We shouldn’t be focusing on Shannon in itself being a profitable entity,” said Deputy Dooley ahead of the publication of the first masterplan for the airport since 1999.
“The airport from a regional point of view has to be seen as critical infrastructure to allow the region to thrive, develop and grow. Dublin Airport is the cash cow and it should always be the case where Dublin Airport should be in a position to provide subvention to Shannon.
“It has got to be about cost control and cost containment, but the bottom line should not be about profitability for an airport like Shannon.
“If you reduce Shannon to where it is only at a break even point, then you have to reduce the level of facilities and services to a point that it’s not going to be able to retain its in- ternational status.
“There is a certain level of service and staffing that you need to maintain to keep status in place,” said Deputy Dooley.
Continuing, the county’s only opposition member of the Oireachtas said the key to Shannon’s future lay in “getting its cost base right” and looking to new markets. “Clearly it has been next to impossible to get an appropriate deal with low cost carrier Ryanair,” he warned.
“He [Michael O’Leary] has played ducks and drakes with Shannon for a long time. Pandering to Ryanair’s needs might seem appropiate on occasions and welcome, but it hasn’t proven to be sustainable on a longterm basis. It’s not time to forget about Ryanair, but it’s time to forget about pandering to the whims of Ryanair.
“What the airport has to do is focus on more sustainable business with airlines that are prepared to invest in routes and stick with them during difficult. It’s the path that will provide the best path for long-term sustainability,” he added.