DUBLIN Airport’s dominance of Irish aviation has seen other airports, including Shannon, decline or stagnate for years, but now that Dublin can’t cope, Sinn Féín wants the employees from competitors to save it.
On Morning Ireland this Wednesday, its Transport spokesman Darren O’Rourke said employees from other airports should be deployed to Dublin.
“In the first instance what I would say to the DAA and to Ministers (Eamon) Ryan and (Hildegarde) Naughton, is that they need to look within the resources of Dublin Airport, they need to look within the resources of the DAA group which includes Cork Airport, they also need to look within the resources of airports around the country,” Deputy O’Rourke told the presenter.
“What we need is people who have sufficient experience and expertise to work these systems and every available person who has that skill set should be considered at this point in time. It really is a case of an emergency and an emergency response.”
For years Shannon has been seeking a new aviation policy which would rebalance passenger numbers, but Mr O’Rourke wanted this to be put on the back burner once again, with priority to be given to Dublin’s immediate need.
“We have State Airports, I think many of those State airports (there are only two besides Dublin – Cork and Shannon) are looking towards the national aviation policy, they’re arguing for a rebalancing of aviation, that’s something that needs to be addressed in the medium and long term.
“At this point in time it’s a matter of pulling on the green jersey, because our reputation is on the line here, the impact this is having on our reputation across the board, this is an international embarrassment and I think it really is a case of looking at every available resource.
“In the first instance those people who are suitably qualified in terms of Garda clearance and in terms of the skill set redeploying in so far as is humanly possible to Dublin Airport for the month of June and this summer.”
Responding, Clare TD Joe Carey slammed the SF spokesman’s proposals.
“Does Deputy O’Rourke recognise the impact that removing staff from our regional airports during the height of the summer season would have on our regional economies as they attempt to recover from the pandemic? How are our airports supposed to function if we take away their staff?
“What does Deputy O’Rourke say to the thousands of people across the South and West coasts and many other parts of the country who rely, directly and indirectly, on regional airports for employment?
“Leaving our regional airports without their most valuable resource during the middle of the peak travel season is just madness.”
He said that supporting them rather than poaching their staff would be far more sensible. “Instead of shutting down Shannon, Cork or Knock Airport, we must encourage local people to travel from these airports instead of going up to Dublin and facing hour long queues.
“You can walk from the front door of these airports to the departure gate in mere minutes – saving hours of waiting and also contributing to the local economy.
“Now is the time to promote balanced regional development of our international travel routes. Any suggestion to remove valuable resources from our local airports is an insult to rural Ireland and the people and communities who depend on them for jobs and security.”
Se this week’s print edition for more on how the Dublin crisis represents an oppoturnity for Shannon Airport, including our journalist’s on-site report about the ease of using Shannon
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.