Shannon Airport to be separated from DAA

Shannon Airport will take control of its own future from Dec 31 as part of major reform of the aviation sector which will see the struggling airport separated from the Dublin Airport Authority.

Shannon Airport is set to be merged with the existing development agency, Shannon Development and a new International Aviation Services Centre as part of the Government’s plans to transform the commercial fortunes of the region.

The Government’s ambitious plans predict the reformed corporate structure for Shannon Airport will create up to 3,500 direct jobs in the next five years.

Transport Minister Leo Varadkar and Jobs and Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton will announce formal details of the Government’s plans for Shannon at an Irish Aviation Authority Conference in Dublin today.

A Government-appointed task force is understood to have received specific commitments from two companies in the Shannon region to expand their operations on condition the airport is separated from the DAA.

The DAA has notified trade union representatives of the proposed reform of the corporate structure.

ICTU general secretary David Begg said the Government’s proposals were “founded on blind faith and wishful thinking on the part of certain interests”.

Government sources insist that proposals have been stress-tested by independent consultants who are satisfied the airport’s future is financially viable.