Shannon rejects Ryanair’s offer

SHANNON Airport has rejected Ryanair’s offer to increase flights there due to what it called the airline’s “unreasonable demands”.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary is travelling to Shannon today to make a statement.

Last week Ryanair said it would add around 14 more routes at Shannon if the airport agrees to pay the airline for new passengers.

Ryanair offered to add one million passengers at Shannon in return that it be allowed to avail of a scheme over five years that he says Aer Lingus avails of at Dublin airport.

Yesterday Shannon Airport said no commercial airport in Europe could agree to the “non-negotiable terms” set out by Ryanair.

It said any agreement has to be financially viable for the airport and the airline added Ryanair’s terms would be “financially ruinous for any airport”.

It said Ryanair’s claim it is just seeking an extension of an existing incentive scheme available in Dublin is “utterly untrue”.

“What Ryanair has demanded bears no relation whatsoever to any existing scheme at any DAA owned airport,” said a Shannon Airport spokesman.

Mr O’Leary last night rejected this statement saying he believes the DAA are paying Aer Lingus €6 per departing passenger at Dublin Airport.

Ryanair gave the DAA until March 5 to accept its offer. It said if the offer is rejected it will not pull more routes from Shannon but will not expand there either.

Shannon said rather than paying the normal passenger charges at Shannon, Ryanair wants instead to be paid €4.70 for every passenger it brings to the airport. Ryanair says it will pay no landing or aircraft charges for what it defines as any new passengers, according to the airport.

“The airline is also demanding a range of other free services such as free check-in desks and free communications,” it said.

According to Shannon Airport Ryanair has also insisted DAA pay back €3.7m Ryanair paid DAA to settle a High Court case that related to Ryanair’s failure to meet passenger targets at Shannon Airport under a previous deal.

Last night however Mr O’Leary said he would be will to negotiate with the DAA on this issue.

Shannon Airport said about 90% of the decline in passenger numbers at the airport is due to the “significant reduction in Ryanair services”.