Ahern remains silent on Shannon crisis

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern once more opted for silence on the Shannon crisis yesterday.

A spokesman for Mr Ahern said he would not be commenting on the matter.

The spokesman stressed that, while the Taoiseach was not commenting, he was “across this [issue] backwards and forwards”.

He said Mr Ahern was in regular contact with Transport Minister Noel Dempsey, the line minister with responsibility for the area, and Defence Minister Willie O’Dea, who represents Limerick.

Mr Ahern was also speaking with “all the major players” involved. “He has spent a lot of time working on this,” the spokesman said of Mr Ahern.

Mr O’Dea told yesterday’s Irish Examiner he was “aghast” at Aer Lingus’s decision to axe a commercially successful route.

He added to his comments yesterday afternoon, insisting that he, Mr Ahern and Mr Dempsey were “working behind the scenes to come up with a solution” to the problem.

But a spokeswoman later clarified this, saying that while Mr O’Dea had raised the issue with his colleagues, and made strong representations on Shannon’s behalf, it was not clear the Government could do anything to reverse the situation.

Fianna Fáil Clare TD Timmy Dooley said the Government should attempt to ring-fence Heathrow slots for Shannon, adding that emergency legislation should be introduced if required.

However, the fact that Ireland doesn’t own Heathrow slots would likely mitigate against any such attempt. The Heathrow slots are held by Aer Lingus on the basis of so-called “grandfather rights”, or rights of historic precedence.

But Mr Dooley said: “If necessary, Heathrow slots should be purchased, leased or acquired by the State to ensure direct connectivity to the wider world.”

Meanwhile, Labour Limerick East TD Jan O’Sullivan once again criticised Mr Dempsey’s performance on the issue.

“It is simply not good enough for the Minister for Transport to wash his hands of the Aer Lingus decision,” she said. “What use is it for the Government to retain a 25% stake in Aer Lingus if our Transport Minister expresses no interest or concern when critical decisions that seriously erode the region’s competitiveness and potential attractiveness for foreign direct investment are made?”

She also called on the region’s Fianna Fáil TDs, including Mr Dooley, to withdraw their support for the Government if it does not reverse the axing of the Shannon-Heathrow route.