Shannon Airport will ‘risk closure’
That is according to Fianna Fáil transport spokesman Timmy Dooley, who said the option in the Booz & Company report of allowing Shannon Airport be run by a “local authority holding entity”, which could include Clare and Limerick county councils and possibly Shannon Development, should not take place.
“This would be hugely damaging,” Mr Dooley said. “According to Booz, the new airport model will also be based upon developing the land bank at the airport and developing cargo along with passenger traffic.”
He said: “We are in the worst economic crisis since the 1920s and there will not be any revenues from the land bank for 10 years and we are way off developing cargo, so before there is an upside from these in 10 years time, the airport could be closed before there is a recovery in the economy.”
Booz said a move to a local concession model would offer the “greatest opportunities” for developing a niche business at Shannon.
However, Mr Dooley said the locally-owned based model “would be disastrous for Shannon and the region”, adding that Shannon receives €8m per annum in subvention from the Dublin Airport Authority.
He said: “Under the model proposed by Booz, where will the money comes from? Clare County Council doesn’t have any money. Shannon Development also doesn’t have any money and its functions are currently being reviewed by Government.”
Fine Gael TD Joe Carey said: “I welcome the fact that Booz & Co sees the merits in a new governance model for Shannon, with buy-in from local stakeholders.”
Clare County Council said due diligence had yet to be undertaken and completed in relation to the implementation of the council’s recommendation that Shannon be run by local public agencies and the financial implications of same.
Mr Varadkar is due to make a decision on the future of Shannon Airport before Easter.
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