Mulcahy urges Region to support new Ryanair services
Clare Fine Gael Senator Tony Mulcahy has said the future viability of Shannon International Airport has been greatly enhanced by Ryanair’s announcement of 8 new services.
The Shannon-based Senator said today’s announcement heralds a new beginning for Shannon and is a further indication of the return to growth at the airport.
Ryanair says that from April 2014 it will begin operating from Shannon to Berlin, Faro, Fuerteventura, Krakow, Munich, Nice, Paris and Warsaw, delivering an additional 300,000 passengers per annum to the airport.
He stated: “In previous years, Shannon was very much dependent on Ryanair and in doing so suffered greatly when the airline withdrew many of its services during 2009 and 2010. However, we are in a much different situation as we head into 2014 with a number of transatlantic and short haul operators now based at Shannon. For example, the short period since autonomy was granted to Shannon Airport has seen some very significant, positive developments take place including Aer Lingus’ new service to Faro, Flybe’s new service to Glasgow and the addition of numerous transatlantic services.”
Senator Mulcahy said it is now up to the people of the West of Ireland to ensure that the services are maintained into the future. He continued: “We, as a region, cannot afford to be complacent about the services on offer at Shannon as seen with the loss of other services down through the years. By supporting existing services, the people of this region can play an important role in protecting Shannon Airport’s future. To consolidate the future of these new services, I would ask the people of this Region to support Shannon Airport when considering a trip abroad while tourism and hospitality operators can also play their part by promoting the airport as the key gateway to Ireland.”
“As a local community, we have fought long and hard to promote Shannon Airport as the West of Ireland’s transatlantic airport and as provider of quality connectivity to other international locations. Together, we can complement the good work being undertaken by airport management in recent months by supporting the newly announced Ryanair services.
“I want to commend the Government for its decision to scrap the Air Travel Tax from April 2014. This disastrous Fianna Fáil-imposed tax undermined the efforts of airports to retain existing routes and develop new services. I also want to acknowledge Ryanair and Michael O’Leary for fulfilling their promise of restoring services at Shannon should the tax be abolished,” concluded Senator Mulcahy.
