“The key thing is that Shannon is successful financially and brings investment and jobs to the area.”
DURING his recent visit to Foynes the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar increased local concern that Knock Airport could overtake Shannon on passenger figures if the current set-up of the latter continues. Minister Varadkar was in the region to attend the launch of a National Aviation Award at the Foynes Flying Museum and a Shannon Chamber spring lunch.
When asked by the Limerick Post whether he would be supporting the full implementation of the recently published Booz Report, which recommended the separation of Shannon from the DAA, the minister said aspects of it would be taken on board.
“We are going through due diligence and there is a lot of detailed work that has to happen within the companies in the Department to see how the report can be implemented before I go back to government looking for a formal decision in April”.
He said that Knock Airport is outperforming Shannon, and that while the Mayo airport receives €2 million in government grants each year, Shannon gets €7 million per annum from the DAA.
“There is a possibility that Knock could overtake Shannon in terms of passenger numbers, with Shannon down 20% in figures and Knock on the increase.
“It’s clear that the structures around Shannon don’t work and now is the time to make decisions to change this”.
“The key thing for me with a decision on Shannon is that it is a success financially and brings investment and jobs to the area as well as turning the airport and the airport complex around”.
He added that the “halfway house” of the DAA was not working as there is no autonomy for the airport’s board.
“I do think there is a strong case for the separation of Shannon but to make it work it would need to be more than a passenger airport and would have to develop the lands around it for aviation industry and that would need tax arrangements to make it possible.
“I’m only for its separation – if we can be confident the move will the airport around”.
