The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
THERE is yet more bad news for Shannon Airport this week as Delta has announced it will not recommence its New York service until at least 2022.
It told Shannon Group that with demand at an all time low across its network, they will cut their transatlantic capacity in 2021, and will focus on major cities.
The news comes after United announced in June that it would not be resuming its Shannon-Newark service, meaning Shannon has now lost a very significant amount of transatlantic connectivity, which is so important to tourism and business.
Delta had operated at Shannon since 1986 and at one point also had Shannon-Atlanta flights.
In the aftermath of the decision by Delta, Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine said that aviation needs support at one of the most challenging times in the sector’s history. “The aviation industry is on its knees, with seven million jobs across the sector under threat as a result of the ongoing pandemic which has seen airlines and airports all over the world forced to make difficult decisions.
“As an island nation, aviation is the lifeline that connects us to the global economy and how quickly we recover as we emerge from this crisis will depend on the recovery of the aviation sector.
“The industry urgently needs immediate Government support to continue to fulfill its role in providing vital air connectivity to regions which underpin business and tourism and help drive the wider national economic recovery.”
Ms Considine said that Shannon will maintain its relationship with Delta, despite the setback.
Lahinch hotelier Michael Vaughan said it is “an enormous blow” to the tourism sector, and that the loss of services at Shannon is sparking huge concern. “It is causing great angst among the tourism community. There’s a feeling that the recovery in 2021 will be much weaker because of all of this.”
He backed calls for State intervention, to protect services. “In terms of aviation policy there should be a mark under which we don’t go. This is like if any of the ferries between Britain and Ireland were cancelled, the Government would be stepping in to see how you could provide such a service. The same thing is true for this, and we are only paying lip service to regional development if we don’t manage to maintain these kind of services. Besides tourism, the foreign direct investment into the country depends on access from key cities as well.
“I think there is a political imperative there at the moment. Quite clearly the market has failed and where you get market failure you do need the State to step in.”
Shannon Group have certainly had their share of critics in recent months, but he says they are hamstrung by Government policy. “You can’t blame the board at Shannon Airport for this type of situation, because the board itself has been failed by the lack of a cohesive aviation policy. We don’t currently have any policy that seeks to maintain essential services into the west of Ireland. We have Dublin Airport that will survive because of population but I think its well time for the State to nail its colours to the mast. We had separation of the airport but separation without an aviation policy backing that separation. That deficiency was highlighted at the time by a lot of people.”
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked for a number of other regional titles in Limerick, Galway and Cork.
