Tag Archives: Aer Lingus Shannon

Owen Ryan reports on a feisty exchange between Deputy Michael McNamara and An Taoiseach Michéal Martin THE Taoiseach is destroying his own legacy and Shannon Airport, Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara warned in the Dáil this week, shortly after the Aer Lingus decision to close its Shannon cabin crew base became known. The Scariff man vehemently criticised the Government’s approach to aviation. “When are we going to have a debate on what the State’s aviation policy is? When can we even find out what it is? “There are announcements from the Tánaiste every day that contradict each other. There are announcements from all the members of the Taoiseach’s Cabinet that contradict each other constantly. “We do not have an aviation policy or aviation recovery plan. We need one before it is too late. It is already too late for my constituency. The Taoiseach’s is next. “He might not care much about the rest of the country but if he cares …

THERE has been unanimous criticism from the county’s politicians of the Aer Lingus decision to close the Shannon cabin crew base, writes Owen Ryan. Fine Gael deputy Joe Carey said the decision was “hasty and ill advised”, while he said he would work to try and bring about a reversal. The Clarecastle man accepted that the Government should have published an aviation plan by now. “Mr Vardakar is going to ask Aer Lingus to defer this decision until the aviation roadmap is published. The aviation lobby is blaming the Government for not publishing a plan and I feel they have a point on this. “I feel that Eamon Ryan and his department should have published an aviation plan at this stage. “Additionally, I have spoken to a number of Shannon-based Aer Lingus workers, along with Shannon Group CEO, Mary Considine. Shannon is much more than an airport. There’s a reason why there are so many Foreign Direct Investment jobs in …

AER Lingus has this afternoon announced it will close its Shannon cabin crew base. A virtual meeting was held at 1pm in which staff were told about the financial impact of the pandemic, and that severe cutbacks are being introduced. In a statement this afternoon, the airline said, “Aer Lingus staff were today advised that the cumulative impact of the crisis over the last 15 months means immediate actions and structural changes are required at the airline. The airline must be more cost-efficient and productive in order to generate the cash required to rebuild its financial health. Disastrous news for Aer Lingus workers in Shannon Airport and the Mid-West region today. The pandemic has done huge damage to the aviation sector. The Irish government's response to Covid has been unique in Europe at least, in making a bad situation worse. pic.twitter.com/oWnsGIELaC — Michael McNamara TD (@MlMcNamaraTD) May 18, 2021 “Immediate actions announced today by the airline include the permanent closure …