Shannon group to meet EU officials

A DELEGATION from Shannon meets key EU officials in Brussels today on the future of the airport.

They want to find out what help they can expect from the EU in relation to attracting new business to the region and in getting an airline to replace the Heathrow flights axed by Aer Lingus.

The delegation is made up of three Fianna Fáil MEPs, Seán Ó Neachtain, Brian Crowley and Liam Aylward, together with the chairman of the Shannon Connectivity Alliance, Councillor John Brassil, chairman of the Shannon Airport Authority Pat Shanahan and Clare Dáil deputy Timmy Dooley.

They will meet Francis Morgan, a key advisor on aviation issues to the Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot and also Bernardus Smulders, the Competition Commissioner’s top official.

Mr Ó Neachtain, a member of the European Parliament’s Transport Committee, said they will explore what options are open to Shannon and what help they can expect from the EU.

“The fact the chef de cabinet to the EU Competition Commissioner is meeting this delegation demonstrates the European Commission fully understands the importance of the issues involved,” he said.

Deputy Dooley described the meeting as exploratory but said they hoped to discover how similar problems were resolved elsewhere. He said: “The EU must take into account this unique situation where regional development and the sustainability of a local economy is in jeopardy."