Tag Archives: Airport

THE prospect of a strike at Shannon Airport has moved closer, as a ballot on industrial action showed a massive majority of SIPTU members favouring it, due to a long-running dispute over pensions. Workers at Dublin and Cork airports, as well as Aer Lingus, have also voted for industrial action but SIPTU pension policy adviser, Dermot O’Loughlin, said the ballot of Shannon Aviation Authority members was particularly one-sided. On Tuesday he said, “There were record turnouts and results in Cork and Dublin but they were trumped beyond belief in Shannon. Ninety-eight per cent have voted for taking industrial action and 96% said their preference was for strike action.” He said there had been a 90% turnout and that both that figure and the resounding vote in favour of strike action were “amazing”. Workers at the three State airports and at Aer Lingus are all covered by the Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme, which has a deficit of a reported €780 million. …

AFTER closing for a number of hours due to this afternoon’s severe weather, when winds gusts reached 150k per hour, Shannon Airport has now reopened. An Aer Arann plane that was parked at the airport blew over during the course of the afternoon, while some of the cladding on the roof of the airport blew down. The terminal building also had to be evacuated after a fire alarm went off after a door swung open and struck it. A number of trees were also knocked in Shannon and Met Éireann’s radar suffered wind damage during the storm.    

WITH another storm battering the county this Wednesday afternoon, Shannon Airport has closed temporarily. One small aircraft was blown by the wind to a point where one of its wings tipped the ground. In a statement it has said that due to the adverse conditions all operations have been suspended until 3.30pm. According to the airport website the last flight to leave Shannon was at11.30am this morning. The last arrival was just after 11am and two flights due to arrive from London have been cancelled. Also this afternoon a truck overturned on the Ennis-Limerick road while there are reports of trees falling all over the county. Meanwhile, Met Éireann has a red weather alert in force. Coastal areas will experience winds increasing from storm force 10 to violent storm with some severe gusts this afternoon. The Coast Guard particularly appeal to people to use common sense and not to place themselves in danger. The Coast Guard strongly advises the public …

SHANNON and America’s most Irish city got a little closer on Wednesday, as Aer Lingus commenced a daily year-round service to Boston. It will also be operating a six-times-a-week New York service, starting on March 30. The increased transatlantic services will build on the momentum achieved in the second half of last year when passenger numbers on US services at Shannon grew by 22%, compared with the same six months in 2012. Wednesday’s flight was a first in that it marked Aer Lingus’ inaugural commercial transatlantic flight with a Boeing 757 aircraft. The airline will be basing two 757s at the Clare airport, replacing a single Airbus A330. Speaking at the launch on Wednesday morning, Clare Deputy Pat Breen noted, “This is a major announcement for Shannon Airport. The year-round seven-times weekly services to Boston and six-times weekly to New York will bolster transatlantic capacity and provides a much-needed winter boost, something which will also be warmly welcomed by tour …

RYANAIR has announced a new route from Shannon to Poitiers in France, which will operate twice weekly from April 4. Spokesperson Maria Macken said; “Ryanair is pleased to announce a new route from Shannon to Poitiers in the Poitou-Charentes region of west-central France which will operate twice weekly on Mondays and Friday from 4 April.” Ryanair is famous for adopting an uncaring and sometimes hostile attitude to its customers, but it has said that is ending and it is introducing allocated seating, a second free carry-on bag , easier website access and reduced baggage fees. The city of Poitiers has a population of about 100,000 and it is the capital of the Poitou-Charentes region.

HUNDREDS of young people are in the terminal of Shannon Airport today for the Irish Technology Leadership Group’s Young Innovators 2014 event. The teenagers, from secondary schools around the country, including students from St Flannan’s in Ennis, St Patrick’s Comprehensive in Shannon and St Anne’s Community College in Killaloe are sharing their vision for the world in 2064 through an innovation and technology challenge. They are being asked to outline how they think people may live, work, play, travel, learn and shop in 50 years time. Chair of Shannon Rose Hynes Rose Hynes was there and she said it’s very interesting to think about what the future may bring, given how quickly technology can change. “If you just think 20 years back, people weren’t even using faxes, they were using telex. It’s quite amazing. I was in GPA when emails became a big thing, it’s not that long ago.” Luke Lawlor, a Leaving Cert student at St Flannan’s was among …

LIMERICK Institute of Technology has launched a new Certificate in Aviation, which will be delivered at the Atlantic AirVenture Aviation Centre in Shannon. The course is due to commence on February 11 and will last 10 weeks. It aims to equip those currently working within aviation, or who would like to explore career opportunities in the sector, with a knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of aviation and the aerospace industry. It will be delivered by professionals working in the sector and is validated by the Department of Mechanical and Automobile Engineering at LIT, as part of their flexible learning programme. Jane Magill, Atlantic AirVenture director said, “Atlantic AirVenture Aviation Centre is delighted to partner with LIT to offer an exciting opportunity to explore the career options available in the aviation industry, locally, nationally and internationally. The aim of this course is to provide participants with practical information on training options and routes available within the industry from engineering to …

  By Owen Ryan SHANNON Airport ended a five year long decline in 2013, as its passenger numbers increased for the first time since 2007, official figures released this week have shown. In all 1,400,032 passengers flew through Shannon last year, slightly more than the 1,394,781 in 2012. While 1.4 million is still well below half the number that used Shannon during the late Celtic Tiger days of 2006 and 2007, an improvement is hugely welcome after such a long running and steep decline. It also shows that Shannon enjoyed a largely positive first year after its separation from the Dublin Airport Authority. The increase in passengers came despite a very rocky start to last year, as the airport’s decline continued in each month up to and including May. However, things turned around after that and the increase in passengers was most pronounced on transatlantic routes where 22% growth was achieved, largely due to new services to Chicago and Philadelphia. …