The Transport Minister has admitted that Shannon Airport has been “disproportionately affected” by the global grounding of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft.
Shane Ross has been responding to a question from the Fianna Fáil leader on his plans to increase passenger numbers at the Midwest facility.
It’s the first time the Minister has publicly stated that Shannon has been harder hit than other airports, as Clare FM’s James Mulhall reports:
Despite passenger numbers at Shannon growing by some 34% since the airport gained independence in 2013, this year has seen the figures drop considerably.
The year began on a sour note, when Kuwait Airlines unexpectedly announced it would drop its daily trans-atlantic service via Shannon Airport.
This was followed by the global grounding of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft, which saw Norwegian Air pull out of Shannon with no plans to return, while Air Canada routes were also lost.
It’s led to public outcry from all parties and none in Clare, calling for more state support for Shannon.
In a written response to a question posed by Micheál Martin, Minister Ross has pointed to the Regional Cooperative Marketing Fund, which encourages new access and maximises the potential of existing services at the regional airports, as a possible boost.
And despite saying he has met with Shannon Group in recent months, the Minister has still yet to visit Shannon Airport in person – even though he committed to doing so by the end of September.
