This article is from page 8 of the 2012-04-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
WHEN it’s finally revealed, the Government blueprint to secure Shannon Airport’s future won’t be devised with the sectional interests of Clare County Council or Shannon Development in mind – the two bodies that are expected to be given a lead role in the new management structure.
“The plan for the airport is not to please local authorities or government agencies or interest groups of any sort,” warned transport minister, Leo Varadkar when announcing a new timeframe for delivery of a decision on the airport’s future.
“The plan for the airport is to develop it for the region, to arrest the decline in passenger numbers and to bring employment and investment into the region for the benefit of everyone. That’s the plan – it’s not about satisfying interest groups of any sort,” added Minister Varadkar.
The Booz Report, which was published in redacted form in March, put forward five separate options for Shannon, with the most favoured of these being a recommendation that Clare and Limerick county councils, together with Shannon Development be part of a new holding company that would manage the airport.
It was expected that a decision rubber-stamping this recommendation would be delivered by the end of next week, but now this has been deferred to later in the month.
“These things can be quite complicated,” said Minister Varadkar. “It won’t be before Easter but we can bring an outline proposal to government in April and then we can work on business plan in subsequent months.
“The response to the Booz report has been very good. People are being very positive about what can be done and there’s a good understanding that things can’t go on the way they did before.
“The reality is that there are a lot of players in the region. They all need to be included and involved and consulted, but the reality is that very few of them are willing to come on board in terms of capital and finance. That’s understandable because they’re in a difficult financial position too.
“What we’re doing at the moment is the due diligence. Shannon Airport is involved in this; the DAA is involved in this; Shannon Develop- ment is involved in this; four government departments and various government entities as well, so we have to put all sorts of detailed things like loan agreements, debt issues. When the decision is made by the Government on the roadmap, then there will be progess.
“We will spend a few months after that with an interim board and an interim task force perhaps developing the detailed business plan and working out the necessary legislative change that will have to made. I want to be able to do that very quickly,” he added.