Protection for Shannon is a must

There are a number of options for the future of Shannon Airport on the table following the publication of the redacted version of Booz Report by the coalition. Which option will be chosen remains a mystery at this stage but whichever it may be, it is safe to say this is a critical point in the airport’s history. Given the comments in this paper last week from the main Fine Gael representatives at local and national level about a buy-in by local authorities, that would seem to be the preferred option by the Government. This may not be the case of course but generally that seems to be the way these things work.
In theory, I would be in full agreement with them but of course the small matter of local councils not having a farthing in the coffers these days to pay for basic services does put the kibosh on any support I might have for the proposal. If Clare and Limerick County Councils and possibly Shannon Development had the money to sustain, support and grow the airport in the way it needs, then this would be the way forward. In reality, they cannot and certainly will not be able to in the coming decade. Therefore, that option must be relegated to the pile reserved for fine ideas that just wont work.
For many years, it has been clear that Shannon needs to be free from the interference of the Dublin Airport Authority which, understandably, places the good of the capital’s airport ahead of the regional facilities.
While this is understandable, it is infuriating to watch. Passenger numbers, flights and facilities have been in decline for a number of years now and blame for this must be carried to a large degree by the DAA.
The position Shannon now finds itself in is something akin to that of an ailing patient. The airport has operated at a disadvantage for so many years that it has been weakened to the point where it needs support to get back on its feet. The fact remains that Shannon can be a viable and profitable entity again but only when it is supported to get there and not held back by Dublin.
Infrastructure is a vital aspect of drawing industry to the nation and to the region. Building new infrastructure is costly and something that governments do less and less.
For this reason, preserving a piece of the scale and quality of Shannon Airport is of the utmost importance not just for the region but for the Government too.
The time when the Government fulfilled its duty in this regard however, is a thing of the past. State financial support for Shannon to expand its cargo facilities, draw in new carriers with cheap landing charges and generally building itself up once again into the entity it once was would be deemed anti-competition. This, combined with the fact that the Troika is forcing the Irish Government to rid the State of assets.
Ideologically, Government support for Shannon is a non-runner. The people of counties Clare, Limerick and the entire Mid-West cannot be supported by their elected government in this way because of an imposed ideology of privatisation.
The ghost of government past appeared in the media in response to the Booz Report. Deputy Timmy Dooley now speaks for Fianna Fáil on the issue of transport and stated that local authority stakeholder ownership would lead to the closure of the airport in years to come if it goes ahead. His fears regarding the local authority holding the entity are well founded but given Fianna Fáil’s handling of all matters related to Shannon, advice from former senator Dooley on the topic is a little rich, to say the least.
What the Booz Report highlighted is that Shannon Airport is a place of massive potential. The airport facility, as it stands, is underused to an extraordinary degree in terms of passenger numbers and there is also room for significant expansion of the cargo facilities.
Such potential is not be found anywhere else in Ireland so Shannon represents a massive positive in terms of Ireland’s future expansion. For this reason, it is nothing short of baffling that there is so little by way of political action on it for so many years now.
The expansion and rejuvenation of the airport is a positive thing, not only for Clare and the Mid-West, but for the country. The only people who could see it as negative are those with interests in seeing Cork and Dublin continuing to grow at the expense of Shannon.
We are told that Minister Varadker will be announcing a decision about the future of Shannon before Easter. While the calls for autonomy, which have come from so many quarters for so long, must be heeded in one way, the reality of the costs of supporting and growing the airport properly must also be considered.
The facility must be nurtured through its growth with a view to the future rather than cast, without a financial safety net, into the cutthroat reality of self-sufficiency. This is, of course, contrary to Government policy but maybe it is time for them to make a decision based on a long view of what will be beneficial in years to come rather than fire fighting to slash current budgetary strife. The benefits that will come from a strong and well-supported Shannon Airport are multifaceted and generous. What is needed now is a Government with the foresight to understand this and make what will be a big decision with the future in mind.
Failure to protect Shannon will amount to a gross dereliction of duty on the part of the Government, not only with regard to Clare but in terms of the entire Mid-West Region. Hindsight in years to come will show this decision in a very clear light and it is this position the Government should try to see from when thinking about Shannon Airport and what decision to take regarding its future.