This article is from page 19 of the 2008-09-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
BUDGET airline, Ryanair is “on target” to deliver on it’s promise to bring in excess of 1.9 million pas- sengers to Shannon in 2009, airport director Martin Moroney revealed eer Ne
However the airport authority was not being drawn on claims by mav- erick airline boss, Michael O’Leary that he could in the future be flying people across the Atlantic, using Shannon as a base, for as little as ten bucks.
O’Leary was in Shannon last week to announce two new routes and 26 more weekly flights from Shannon Airport from November.
Ryanair will base a sixth aircraft in Shannon which will allow it to launch two new routes to Frankfurt- Hahn and Newcastle and 26 more weekly frequencies to destinations like Bristol, Edinburgh and Paris.
This sixth aircraft, which is a fur- ther €70 million investment by Rya- nair in Shannon, will generate more than 100 more jobs at the airport this NA Us Koa
SU ilexor coe Bibtdelnm sel Moura r me ReLee more passengers each week through the airport.
Ata press conference, O’Leary said that he is scanning the skies for air- craft to suit long-haul trips.
Predicting that if he can get the aircraft, “the motorways around Shannon will be jammed with peo-
ple looking for $10 (€6.80) flights. We would empty Dublin Airport of transatlantic passengers and nothing would give me more pleasure.”
O’Leary said that he is consider- ing setting up the transatlantic hub in Shannon, but only if he can get air- Coe-VA e-em d slow wed sl moe lee
He told reporters that he needs the recession “to go on a bit longer and be a bit more severe”.
Ryanair’s Chief Financial Officer, Howard Millar has said that any long-haul venture would not be un- dertaken by Ryanair itself but by a new company.
To accommodate the new routes and increased frequencies of flights, O’Leary said, Ryanair will discon- tinue flying the Shannon-East Mid- lands route and reduce frequencies on the Shannon-Luton route from October 31.
In welcoming the news, Martin Moroney, Airport Director said, “We are delighted that Ryanair 1s expand- ing its base at Shannon. In what has been a challenging year, these ad- ditional services will boost our pas- senger numbers and see Ryanair on target to deliver over 1.9 million pas- sengers to Shannon in 2009.
He continued, “These services offer an additional opportunity for tourism promotion in the west of Ireland. We look forward to working with them in achieving that aim and thank them for their renewed commitment to Shannon and the mid-west.”