Soft landing

THE Aer Lingus decision to use its Heathrow slots for Belfast rather than Shannon should not come as a shock.

Over the years, Shannon has been spoiled by political favouritism and has become commercially ‘soft’. They used taxpayers funds, via SFADCo, to poach business from Cork and elsewhere.

The new Shannon Airport Authority opted to support Ryanair rather than Aer Lingus. They cannot have their cake and eat it. Shannon should learn to survive in the real competitive world. It is not entitled to more State support than other regions.