Brennan ignores union pleas by naming Shannon board

TRANSPORT Minister Seamus Brennan continued to ignore union pleas for an independent review of his plans to break up Aer Rianta yesterday and named the new board to run Shannon Airport.

Announcing the 12-member board, Mr Brennan outlined his opposition to any delay in the break-up of the company and signalled that he expected Dublin, Cork and Shannon to be operating independently before the end of next summer.

“It’s better for choice and better for growing the markets, if the three airports are independent authorities,” he said.

Mr Brennan said the Cabinet had approved the amending legislation required for the break-up of Aer Rianta on Tuesday and that he expected the State Airports Bill would be enacted by the end of the year.

There is no set date for the announcement of the boards, which will be responsible for taking over operations at Dublin and Cork.

However, Aer Rianta unions, who have written to Mr Brennan giving him a deadline of Monday to respond to requests for an independent review, yesterday warned that strike action was becoming increasingly unavoidable.

Senior SIPTU aviation official Dermot O’Loughlan said Mr Brennan had made it obvious that he had already rejected the notion of an independent review and was not about to come forward with business plans for the three airports.

“The nuclear option is going to be unleashed, and it’s unfortunate, because it could all be avoided if the minister had a business plan,” said Mr O’Loughlan.

According to Mr O’Loughlan, an alternative SIPTU business plan to be published next week has estimated that Shannon Airport will lose 12.5 million in its first year of operation as in independent company, if the Shannon stopover is lost.

SIPTU members have already balloted in favour of strike action at Aer Rianta by a margin of more than 80%.

However, Mr Brennan insisted the new boards would bring new energy to the three airports, resulting in more business all round.

“You can see from the people we have there, that that kind of leadership is going to give a huge boost to Shannon,” he said.

Mr Brennan rejected suggestions that the lack of a business plan for Shannon meant that the break-up was proceeding too quickly. “There is a business plan for Shannon and Cork under the present Aer Rianta structure.

“And as soon as the new boards formally take office they will take a look at that business plan, and they will adjust it for the new circumstances, and go after new business and open up new routes,” he said.

Shannon’s new board is to be chaired by Patrick Shanahan, who is also the chief executive of the Atlantic Technology Corridor.

He will be joined on the board by international aviation expert Patrick Blaney, aviation lawyer and consultant Rose Hynes, Air Transport Users’ Council chairman Tadgh Kearney, Lynch Hotel Group managing director Michael B Lynch, corporate financial control expert Padraic Burke, Dell Group senior executive Reg Freake and Shannon Development Company communications, research & development director Olivia Loughnane.

The four remaining seats will be filled by worker-directors, nominated by the trade unions.