Airport link to Shannon agency urged

SHANNON AIRPORT authorities have been asked to explore the possibility of a formal link-up with Shannon Development with a view to guaranteeing the airport’s viability as a stand-alone operation, the Irish Examiner has learnt.

Aviation sources say Transport Minister Noel Dempsey has raised a potential amalgamation between Shannon Airport and the Government-owned regional development agency for the Shannon area as a way of safeguarding the airport’s long-term future.

It comes as Mr Dempsey yesterday confirmed he was postponing the separation of Cork and Shannon airports from the existing control of the Dublin Airport Authority until 2011. The minister said he accepted the view of the three airport authorities that it would be best to defer their separation because of the economic climate in the aviation industry.