This article is from page 6 of the 2010-02-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
IT IS unlikely that Shannon Airport will be the site of a Ryanair aircraft maintenance base, controversially proposed by Michael O’Leary for Hangar six in Dublin.
Last week the Government pro- posed to Ryanair that it could estab- lish the new aircraft maintenance base at Shannon Airport after it said there was no legal mechanism by which the Government or the Dublin Aviation Authority could secure the Hangar 6 facility from Aer Lingus for Ryanair.
Shannon Development offered to accommodate the no frills airline in IMCD GLI NDOTCMO) MBO CoA LAs ee-bavex- be
In correspondence with Ryanair the state company said it could offer the airline “grant support packages” and had a number of substantial green- field landbanks with airside access available, if it would consider basing its maintenance facility at Shannon Airport.
However, Ryanair rejected this pro- posal out of hand.
It said its one condition to create the 300 jobs through a maintenance base had just one condition – that it could secure Hangar six at Dublin Airport.
“Hangar 6 fits Ryanair’s require- ments, is not currently being utilised for the purpose for which it was built, and is in close proximity to a pool of highly skilled aviation engi-
neers who formally worked for SRT. Ryanair will not be considering any other proposals,” Ryanair said.
Last night (Monday) a spokesper- son for Shannon Development said it had no formal refusal yet from Mr O’Leary or Ryanair.
Meanwhile Clare TD Joe Carey (FG) is looking to other possible services at the airport for job crea- moyen
The Fine Gael TD questioned the Government on the issues that were holding up the development of a Lynx
Cargo facility at Shannon Airport.
Deputy Carey said he believed this facility could have enormous added benefit to the mid-west region and help create and sustain jobs.
“The Lynx Cargo Facility has been several years in the pipeline. I came across a press release recently from Shannon Development in 2004 high- lighting the advantages of such a fa- cility for Shannon and the mid-west. So for Government to now suddenly realise that EU competition or other such issues need to be addressed it a
bit rich.
“It goes back to a question of po- litical will. We know that the cargo facility could have enormous benefit for the region. The Mid West Task- force chairman has identified it as a key for the area.
He said the Taoiseach said in reply to his Dail question that the Govern- ment would assess how the current pre-clearance facilities operate and aCe O Coren Oley