Attacks cost Shannon €3m, claims O’Dea

LOCAL TD and Junior Justice Minister Willie O’Dea last night blamed the loss of €3m worth of business to Shannon airport on the recent protest attacks on US military aircraft.

Mr O’Dea was reacting to news yesterday that the second-largest carrier of US troops and cargo through Shannon, World Airways, had decided to divert all its future flights through Frankfurt.

However, members of the former peace camp cautiously welcomed the development.

“While being sensitive to any loss of revenue to the area, I think World Airways leaving is a good thing because their business is purely military and we would be hopeful that the other military carriers would follow suit,” said peace activist Tim Hourigan.

Mr O’Dea sharply criticised the demonstrators at Shannon.

“Recent events at Shannon have not helped one bit. Despite World Airways official statement that there is no link, local hoteliers and other business people have been warning about this eventuality for some time,” he said, adding that the development showed the vulnerability of Irish business and jobs if America became disenchanted with Ireland.

“These people protesting might not be so strident if their own jobs were on the line. Throwing away jobs in this way will not stop the Americans going to war,” Mr O’Dea added.

Mr Hourigan acknowledged the seriousness of lost revenue for the local economy but said the Government had a responsibility to develop Shannon in alternative ways.

“The Government has to finally put in place proper development for the airport instead of settling for the easy package of US military traffic,” he said.

World Airways informed Aer Rianta yesterday that an initial temporary diversion of 17 flights from Shannon would now be made permanent.

According to the airline, the decision was taken to improve operating efficiencies since it has under-utilised technical and maintenance operations based in Frankfurt.

Aer Rianta said World Airways’ decision was not security-related and that military-related activity was worth €9m to the area.

Meanwhile, President George W Bush yesterday sought to turn up the pressure on faltering UN Security Council members saying the Council was weak if it allowed a dictator to lie and deceive the world.

“This is a defining moment for the UN Security Council,” Mr Bush said.

“If the Security Council were to allow a dictator to lie and deceive, the Security Council will be weak,” he added.

Meanwhile, the British Government was accused of its own deception after it emerged a dossier of evidence against Saddam Hussein was largely lifted from a Californian postgraduate student’s outdated thesis.

Downing Street conceded it had made a mistake in failing to acknowledge the report had borrowed heavily from a paper by Ibrahim al-Marashi.