Aer Lingus has defended its decision to hire a plane and outside crew for flights between Shannon to Boston.
Clare County Council expressed serious concern about the impact of the move on staff, and asked for the move to be reversed.
Councillors were concrened that Aer Lingus' decision to hire a plane and crew from Omni-Air international, to fly the Shannon-Boston route, spelt bad news for the airline's Shannon-based cabin crew.
It asked for the former flag carrier to reverse their plan, but in a letter to the Council, Aer Lingus has outlined what it describes as the "very valid business reasons" behind it.
Executive for Flight Operations and Contract Flying Robert Somers says Aer Lingus hired the larger Boeing 767 for a 12-week summer period, and that outside crew had to be contracted because Aer Lingus' own staff could not be trained on time
Aer Lingus also insists that its Shannon workers will be fully occupied during the peak season, and that there will be no detrimental impact on employment levels.
An extra 7,400 seats will be made available on the route, and Mr. Somers says a reversal of their plans would hamper growth for both Aer Lingus, and the MidWest.
