The government is being called on to end the so-called bias against Shannon Airport in terms of providing state funding to help it secure new routes.
It comes as Shannon Group, the airport’s parent company, is calling for funding to be released to airlines, in order to encourage them to set up routes from Shannon, to give it a much-needed boost in passenger numbers.
Passenger numbers at Shannon Airport plummeted across 2019, with the global grounding of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft seeing the loss of a number of routes.
The situation saw Norwegian Air pull out of Shannon with no plans to return, while Air Canada routes were also lost.
Focus now is on 2020 and beyond and the hope is that new routes can be secured to bolster the recent announcements of Paris, Barcelona and Vienna.
Shannon Group’s CEO Mary Considine says to achieve the targets they have set, the release of government funding will be key.
That call has received strong support among members of Clare County Council, who have long been calling for a turnaround in the airport’s fortunes.
Newmarket-on-Fergus Fianna Fáil Councillor Pat McMahon is backing that call and says the heavy focus on developing Dublin Airport needs to end.
He believes supporting Shannon Airport could mean developing it as an airport for the entire western coast.
