This article is from page 14 of the 2012-10-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
CONCRETE steps must be taken towards the separation of Shannon Airport and the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), before Christmas, or the airport could face another 12 months in the doldrums.
That is the opinion of Helen Downes, the chief executive officer of the Shannon Chamber of Commerce, who believes that Shannon can be re-born in 2013 – if progress is made quickly.
“This is the critical first step in the reestablishment of Shannon Airport as the economic driver in the region and there is no reason why this shouldn’t happen,” she said.
“We don’t feel that anything should impede or slow down the separation of Shannon from the Dublin Airport Authority. The separation can only be of benefit to this region.
“The whole issue around Shannon Airport and the Shannon Free Zone is complex. We appreciate that the level of complexity involved does slow down the process but we feel that once the airport it split [from the DAA], it will revive the whole region.
“We realise that things take time but we are anxious that something takes place before the end of the year. If one interim board could be put in place before the end of the year to oversee the split.”
According to the Shannon Chamber of Commerce, new legislation which will allow the IDA to operate in the Shannon Free Zone could provide a massive boost for the whole region.
“We have been promised legislation to permit IDA and Enterprise Ireland to operate in the Shannon Free Zone. This legislation is sup- posed to be published before the end of the year,” continued Helen.
“We feel that 2013 could be a very big year for Shannon Airport. The chamber really feels that there are opportunities for Shannon as a standalone entity – and that includes passenger growth and route development as well as things like the international freight hub. These are the opportunities that must be grasped now.
“The ongoing uncertainty with the decline in traffic will have a very negative effect not just on the airport and the employees here, but on the whole region. This is about industry as well as tourism and a newlyformed Shannon Airport has the capacity to turn that around.
“I think we will see a new appetite to get Shannon back on its feet and to promote the whole region once this split has been formalised.”