This article is from page 51 of the 2013-05-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 51 JPG
CLARE County Manager, Tom Coughlan, has been appointed to the board of the new Shannon Airport Authority. Mr Coughlan is one of two new appointments to the SAA board, the move coming on the back of Clare County Council being a staunch supporter of the airport being given its independence from the Dublin Airport Authority.
Mr Coughlan’s appointment to the board, along with that of Tony Brazil of Limerick Travel, came into effect this Tuesday and completed the new SAA board.
“I welcome these appointments as they bring additional and relevant experience and expertise to the board,” said chairman of the SAA, Rose Hynes.
“Tony Brazil’s knowledge of all aspects of the tourism industry will be extremely valuable as we continue to grow passenger services at Shannon Airport. Tom Coughlan’s dynamism and energy as manager of Clare County Council, and his focus in that role on regional development and promotion, will also be a very positive addition to the board.
“I look forward to working with both of them towards delivering further on Shannon’s potential as a key economic driver for the wider region,” she added.
Mr Coughlan’s appointment honours a commitment given by Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar that there would be local authority involvement in the new Shannon Airport. As county manager, he as been in the vanguard of Clare County Council’s support of Shannon during and after the process that brought about its independence from the DAA.
“We are ready, willing and able to work with NEWCO and work with whoever we have to work with to try and make this a success,” he said when independence was finaly granted last December. “I think it can be the new start for Shannon – I think it has to be the new start because we cannot stay where we are. We have to make a new start, we have to move on from where we are. I very much echo the sentiment that doing nothing was not an option,” he added.