D-Day for new airport authority

SHANNON Airport will formally separate from the Dublin Airport Authority on New Year’s Day and North Clare native Rose Hynes will take up the reins as chairperson of the new Shannon Airport Authority.

 

Ms Hynes is chair of Bord Gais Éireann. She also headed the Aviation Business Development Taskforce that reported to the Government Steering Group on proposals for Shannon’s future. Her aviation experience includes membership of the board of the Shannon Airport Authority from 2003 to 2008.

Welcoming her appointment, Shannon Airport director Mary Considine said, “Rose brings vast business and aviation experience to the position of chairperson of the new Shannon Airport Authority. She has, in her role as chairperson of the Aviation Business Development Taskforce, spent the last six months building a sustainable and strategic vision for the future of our airport.

“We have every confidence in Shannon’s ability, under her chairmanship, to deliver on its role as a key economic driver for the greater West of Ireland region and look forward to working with her and delivering a sustainable new era of success for Shannon”.

Meanwhile, Clare TD Michael McNamara said Shannon will be a priority for Government throughout 2013.

“New legislation is in the process of being drafted which will provide the legal basis for the merger of the newly independent Shannon Airport with Shannon Development in 2013. Crucially this will retain the airport in public ownership and allow it to develop new routes and attract more passengers and aviation-related businesses,” he said.

“The Finance Act will elaborate on the commitments contained in Budget 2013, to put in place measures to facilitate the construction of hangars and ancillary facilities to attract aviation sector organisations, as well as new funding sources for airlines, aircraft financing and leading. 2012 has been a good year for Shannon after years of inertia by previous governments,” the East Clare-based TD added.

After separation occurs, Shannon will lose all stake in Aer Rianta International (ARI), which has been criticised in Clare as the company is hugely lucrative and has been run from Shannon since its foundation in the late 1980s.

While the Government has been the target of some criticism on the issue, Deputy McNamara said the decision to give ARI to the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) was made by a previous administration.
While Deputy McNamara’s constituency colleague Timmy Dooley has been very critical of the decision to leave ARI with the DAA, Deputy McNamara said Deputy Dooley voted for the legislation which paved the way for the move. “Despite recent attempts by Fianna Fáil elected representatives to rewrite the history of Shannon and their part in its decline, it was the State Airports Act of 2004 which enabled and caused the transfer of ARI to the DAA.

“I highlighted this in the Dáil, pointing out to Deputy Timmy Dooley that he voted for the act when he was a senator and that it happened on his watch,” he added.