Shannon Group says funding for capital works at the Airport, announced in the Budget, is “very welcome.”
It’s expected that around five million euro will be provided to Shannon, but there are concerns that this is nowhere near enough to revitalise the airport.
Around half of the €10 million given to Shannon and Cork in yesterday’s announcement will be granted to the Midwest airport.
The funding is earmarked for capital expenditure, although it’s not yet clear what exactly the funding will be spent on.
Shannon Group says the money is “very welcome” but has also expressed hopes that the National Economic Plan, due to be published in November, will provide much needed stimulus to support the airline industry.
The Shannon Group told an Oireachtas Committee earlier this month it’s losing €1.3 million a week since the onset of the pandemic.
Despite this, Clare deputies Cathal Crowe and Joe Carey believe the €5 million promised will give the airport some breathing space in the short term.
Ireland has now formally signed up to the EU’s traffic light system for international travel, a move which Ryanair had said was necessary for it to retain its Shannon and Cork bases.
The airline’s told Clare FM it’ll make a decision this week.
Without a strong testing system, however, the government has so far seemed reluctant to open up air travel further, calling into question what levels of service will come on stream in the coming weeks.
Aviation journalist Eoghan Corry has told Clare FM’s Morning Focus that it’s possible that policies could see airlines pull out of Shannon for this winter.
Hoteliers in Clare are also calling for a rapid testing and tracing system to be applied in all Irish airports, including Shannon, to save the sector locally.
Sean Lally of Hotel Woodstock in Ennis believes the funding promised for Shannon is ‘paltry’ – and a lot more work needs to be done.
