Shannon set to take off as air cargo capital

PLANS to make Shannon Airport the air cargo capital of Europe and generate 15,000 local jobs will be revealed by Shannon Development in the new year.

The Atlantic Arc project will comprise an air cargo hub at Shannon Airport with an integrated road, rail and port transport system designed to deliver goods anywhere in Europe between 24 and 48 hours.

Shannon Development’s chief executive Kevin Thompstone said: “The vision is to create a 21st century multi-modal hub for air commerce which will catapult the Irish economy into global leadership in supply chain management, generating significant growth in trade.”

Exports from the Shannon Free Zone will double to 5 billion by the time the project is completed in 2020, said Mr Thompstone.

“The workforce in the 120 firms in the Shannon Free Zone will double to 15,000 in new companies that will be set up around the hub,” Mr Thompstone said.

And the 40,000 jobs directly linked to Shannon Airport in the Western Corridor from Galway to Kerry could also double within that time, he said.

Air cargo is the fastest growing mode of transport, accounting for 40% of all world trade. The world freight market is expected to triple in the next 20 years. International aviation expert Dr John Kasarda believes Shannon Airport is strategically located between the US and Asia to become the European air cargo capital.

“It has a low-tax regime, a well-educated labour force to deliver complex projects and substantial major multinational companies like Dell and Boston Scientific nearby,” Dr Kasarda said.

Dr Kasarda was commissioned by Shannon Development to produce the report on the Shannon Agile Logistics Hub which will be published in the New Year.

But Shannon Development knows that the project’s success will hinge on getting the road, rail and port infrastructure in place on time to ensure speedy delivery of services.

Some of the major multinational companies including Dell, Boston Scientific, Analog, Nortel, HP and Avocent have formed a Western Corridor Alliance to improve road and telecommunications infrastructure linking them to Shannon Airport.

Shannon Development chairman Liam McElligott believes that the mid-west is poised to immediately begin the economic re-balancing of Ireland and become the prime investment location in the country and Western Europe.