Taxpayer should not pay for airport flight of fancy
SFADCO are continuously at the centre of daft projects which have no chance of success. A more alarming aspect is the inevitable demand for taxpayers’ money to fund another one of their brainstorms. The inevitable outcome of their latest scheme would be to compel exporters and importers to use Shannon airport and the consequential higher costs would be borne by customers and, of course, by the State. The huge cost of maintaining a grossly inefficient Shannon airport seems to pass unnoticed.
It has fewer passengers than Cork airport, but has three times more staff. Who pays for this generosity? Knock airport is thriving and is now passing out Shannon for British passengers.
Shannon enjoys protection of its Atlantic business at the expense of the rest of the country.
It’s time to abolish SFADCO. Why not let the IDA and Tourism Ireland serve the mid-west and save the ridiculous duplication of bureaucracy. Shannon should be compelled to survive in a business context like Knock or Cork.
Net disposable income per head in Cork is less than that in the Limerick/Galway area. Therefore it is fair to ask why should taxpayers continue to bail out Shannon and why should airfares between Galway and Dublin be heavily subsidised? Cork people should demand equity from the Government.
Patrick O’Connell,
Castle Close Lawn,
Blarney,
Co Cork.
