New flights could land 300 jobs

Name: New flights could land 300 jobs
Uploaded: 2014-06-05T14:12:02+01:00
Channel: Bernie English
Description: UP to 300 new jobs could be on the way for the region with the announcement this week that Ryanair will operate five new Winters routes out of Shannon airport. The airline is continuing a winter schedule with five of the routes which took wing for the first time in April – Berlin, Fuerteventura, Krackow,

Bernie English

June 5, 2014

Passenger growth at Shannon Airport is set to have a significant benefit for Limerick

UP to 300 new jobs could be on the way for the region with the announcement this week that Ryanair will operate five new Winters routes out of Shannon airport.

The airline is continuing a winter schedule with five of the routes which took wing for the first time in April – Berlin, Fuerteventura, Krackow, Warsaw and Paris.

And the low-cost carrier is increasing the number of flights between Shannon and Stansted from 12 to 14 flights per week in a move to capture more of the business flight sector.

Ryanair’s David O’Brien said that the budget airline took the decision to continue into the winter schedule with the routes because they are “very content with the way these routes are building”.

Pointing out that Ryanair has bases at 186 airports across Europe which are all aggressively seeking a bigger slice of the airline’s business, Mr O’Brien said that it was “an achievement” for Shannon to secure ten new routes in April and to have five extended into a consecutive season.

He said that the routes have the potential to deliver 300 jobs in support industries in the region, with a potential 300,000 extra passengers on the newly announced routes. Research suggests that for every one million international airport passengers, 1,000 jobs are created.

He refused to be drawn on what deal the airline has been given at Shannon but said that Shannon’s “independence and it’s initiatives set it apart”.

Shannon airport CEO Neil Pakey said that the marketing of the airport played a part in winning the Ryanair deal.

He said that the airport not only offers access to the Shannon region but also offers access to Limerick Galway and Kerry.

Welcoming the fact that Ryanair had made a commitment for a second season he said:”When the new motorway link comes for Galway, we’ll be back talking to Ryanair again”.

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