Shannon lands Paris Charles de Gaulle flights

LAST Thursday was a grim day for employment in Shannon with the announcement of more than 200 job losses but there was some welcome news at the airport on Wednesday with the announcement of a new service to one of Europe’s largest hubs, Paris Charles de Gaulle.

In an extremely tough year at Shannon with passenger numbers in steep decline following the loss of many Ryanair services, the new Paris connection is a significant boost.
While Ryanair is due to cease its Paris-Beauvais service on Friday, Charles de Gaulle is seen as a preferable replacement as it offers greater connectivity to a huge number of onward destinations, something that is very important to many multinational companies.
The new flights will commence on December 17 and there will be three services a week – Monday, Friday and Sunday. The airline’s summer schedule will begin on March 29. The three services a week will remain but the days will change to Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Aer Lingus director of communications, Declan Kearney, said it showed the company’s loyalty to the area. “This development reflects our continued commitment to providing the Shannon Region with high-quality services to a wide choice of destinations.”
Shannon Airport director Martin Moroney said he is glad the business relationship with Aer Lingus is strengthening. “This service is very important to us and so are the services that have started to the UK. Aer Lingus had a Shannon-Charles de Gaulle service prior to 9/11 but there was a lot of change after that and it was stopped. They are a very good airline for us and they have said they are committed to Shannon.”
While he believes it would still be feasible for Ryanair to resume its Shannon-Beauvais service, he acknowledged that Charles De Gaulle would be seen as more useful. “It’s more attractive in the sense that it offers connectivity and business people will have a second option apart from Heathrow. I believe the route will work and I hope to see increased frequency. It’s great for the airport and it is shown that we could respond to the problems after Ryanair cut services. With improved connections and a much improved road network, Shannon has a very strong future.”
Shannon Airport Authority chairman, Brian O’Connell, also lauded the arrival of the new service. “Paris Charles de Gaulle offers very significant options for inbound and outbound business and tourism travellers alike and this announcement is a very significant step forward not just for the airport but the region as a whole.
“We had identified Charles de Gaulle as a target for some time and redoubled our efforts following the announcement that the successful Beauvais service is ceasing operations from the end of this month.”
Mr O’Connell said he expects more new services to be announced. “The airport management team, supported by the board of Shannon Airport Authority and by the Dublin Airport Authority, is working extremely hard at building on our existing network and we are confident that we will be able to announce further new services over the coming months. We would now encourage tourism and business development agencies to get behind this new Paris service and maximise it for the benefit of the region,” Mr O’Connell said.

Shannon-Paris Charles de Gaulle will ‘protect future viability of airport’
POLITICIANS and business groups have roundly welcomed the announcement of the new Shannon-Paris Charles de Gaulle service.
Minister Tony Killeen said he felt the announcement would boost confidence. “Management at Shannon Airport have been negotiating with various airlines to replace some of the business lost at the facility in recent months. The recent announcement by Aer Arann to expand its Manchester service along with today’s announcement will go a long way towards restoring confidence among travellers and protecting the future viability of the airport itself.”
He also said that the provision of greater connectivity was good for business interests, while he said it would be welcome news for local tourism interests.
Fine Gael TD Joe Carey said that it was important news for the Mid-West. “Charles De Gaulle is a major European hub with onward access to over 200 non-stop destinations. It is very important from both a business and tourism point of view that we have viable and regular links to this airport. Corporate travellers will be able to travel from Clare and Limerick into the heart of Paris in under two hours, which is very encouraging and important for ongoing business links.
“I wish to congratulate the management at Shannon, and indeed Aer Lingus for seizing on this opportunity. These routes show that Shannon has a commercial future if the proper structures are put in place. It also underlines what we have been saying in the region for years – that Shannon can compete on an equal footing with any Irish airport once it is given a fair chance. We know the business is here, we just need the right supports.”
Deputy Pat Breen said he had urged Aer Lingus to look at resuming the route. “Today’s news is a welcome boost for the airport. Aer Lingus served the Paris route out of Shannon prior to 9/11 and it was very successful. Given the fact that Ryanair have significantly reduced their services from Shannon Airport and there is no direct access now into this region from either Paris or Brussels, there was an opportunity for an airline to fill the void created and I had already written to the Aer Lingus CEO Christoph Mueller urging him to develop a Paris route.”
He feels there are a lot of opportunities in tourism. “I have spoken to several French people who have told me about the long trek they had to endure to get to the Shannon Region last summer. There is huge potential for developing tourism from France and we tick many of the boxes in terms of having an abundance of tourism activities here in the county. Top-class angling, golfing, equestrian and cycling activities are all on our doorstep; what we are missing is direct air access. We cannot expect French tourists to come here in large numbers if they have to endure the experience of getting through Dublin Airport before they arrive and following today’s announcement, they will be able to get on a flight in Paris and fly in direct to the region once again,” Deputy Breen added.
Shannon Chamber chief executive Helen Downes said it was good news for the local business community. “The demand from chamber members for a central European connection has been consistent. Convenient access to European markets for business and personal purposes is an absolute requirement, given Shannon’s positioning in a global context. Not only does Paris-Charles de Gaulle offer abundant onward connectivity, it’s sited in a central and easily-accessible Paris location. The high load factor on the previous Shannon to Paris route, as offered by Ryanair, is indicative of the popularity of Paris as a destination. This new service is therefore all the more appropriate.”
There were almost 400,000 visitors from France to Ireland last year and news of the new route was welcomed by Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland.
“We look forward to working closely with Aer Lingus to maximise the promotion of this new route to Shannon. As an island, direct, convenient and competitive access services are critical to achieving growth in inbound tourism. Tourism Ireland is committed to working with Aer Lingus, Shannon Airport and local tourism interests to drive demand for this service to Shannon and all other services to the island of Ireland and to help maintain our vital network of routes and services.”