Tag Archives: Heathrow

ANGER has greeted a decision by Aer Lingus to cut back on its services from Heathrow to Shannon Airport, this week, in order to meet the London airport’s new rules on passenger numbers. Senator Timmy Dooley has expressed his frustration at decision of Aer Lingus to pull the 7.20pm daily Shannon to Heathrow flight for this week. The Irish airline had said Aer Lingus decided that the flight being cut this week will be the 7.20pm service from Heathrow to Shannon. The service is the last of the day to Shannon. Anyone looking to travel to Shannon this week from Heathrow will only have the options of the 9.20am or the 2.45pm service. All airlines were told to cut flights from Heathrow in order to bring the number of outgoing passengers moving through the airport down to 100,000 a day between now and September. “Shannon Airport has again lost out as aviation decision makers continue their obsession with Dublin Airport,” …

IN 2015 political concerns about the sale of the State’s share in Aer Lingus to IAG were addressed in part by a commitment from the new owners to keep Shannon-Heathrow connectivity in place until September 2022. However that is now just around the corner, and while there hasn’t been very much discussion about the issue publicly, there is real concern about the future of the Heathrow slots, which are absolutely vital for Clare tourism and the many multinational companies in the Mid-West.  “There is still a great concern that they will go. There’s no doubt that there are people using them, but the fact of the matter is the slots can be used for any route and there could be other routes that could give a better yield,” said Lahinch hotelier Michael Vaughan this week. “That has always been a concern and we were seeking guarantees previously on that, which of course amounted to what we got. You’d have to …

THIS Sunday the 7.40am Shannon-Heathrow flight will resume, marking the full restoration of the crucial London services. The following day the Shannon-Newark service will also return after almost two years, with flights set to operate seven days a week. Ryanair services to Palma and Malta are also beginning on Sunday, with the airport’s summer schedule kicking in. Shannon currently offers 26 destinations including options to Budapest, Corfu, Marseille, Barcelona, Faro, Lanzarote and Edinburgh and more. The full resumption of the Heathrow service is very welcome news for Shannon, as the London airport is one of the most significant global hubs, offering onward connectivity to a huge range of destinations. While Shannon has connectivity to other London airports, the Heathrow service is much more important to local tourism interests and Ennis hotelier Sean Lally said that its return is hugely welcome. “It’s probably the most important route in and out of Shannon Airport. Not alone is it a hub for the …

THE Shannon Group CEO has called for the public to use and support Aer Lingus’ Heathrow service from Clare’s airport as much as possible to ensure the route’s long-term future. Mary Considine was speaking this Wednesday ahead of the return of the Aer Lingus London Heathrow service to Shannon Airport on September 13. “It is great to see the Heathrow service return to Shannon in what has been, and continues to be, an extremely difficult period for the aviation sector,” said Ms Considine. “We will be working closely with Aer Lingus to build the service and to resume long-haul services, however, airlines make decisions on routes based on a number of factors, one of the most important of which is how many passengers will travel on their flight. “The best way to ensure the Heathrow service and indeed other routes, remain for the long term is for people to support them. “We have already seen encouraging up-take for the range …

CORK’S difficulty is Shannon’s opportunity as Aer Lingus has announced it will resume a daily Heathrow service there next month. It is happening because of the closure of the runway at Cork airport. While the resumption is certainly very welcome, there will only be one service a day in operation, compared to the three daily services pre-pandemic. However with recovery in the aviation sector likely to be slow, the resumption is certainly a step in the right direction. In a statement Aer Lingus said, “Due to the closure of the runway at Cork Airport, a daily Aer Lingus service from Shannon to London Heathrow will commence on September 13, and it is intended to operate for the duration of the period of the closure of the runway at Cork Airport. The aircraft and crew operating the service will be based in Dublin.” From September 13 Heathrow flights will leave Shannon at 5pm each day. The Shannon bound flights will depart …

THE Heathrow slots at Shannon could become vulnerable after the current obligation on IAG to retain them at the Clare airport expires in September 2022, but with airlines now requiring public support, there is an opportunity for the Government to secure the connectivity. That’s the view of Lahinch hotelier Michael Vaughan, a former President of the Irish Hotels Federation. “Those slots are in the hands of IAG now to do what they want. I think it’s a very serious concern and I’m glad it’s being raised. It was on a lot of people’s minds before the pandemic. “Now IAG are asking the UK government for an immediate bilateral to establish an air corridor between the US and the UK. You could be looking at a greater yield on them for transatlantic as opposed to Shannon. I’d fear for it, certainly. “I know there were attempts earlier on to ensure that what amounted to State aid to Aer Lingus would be …

Owen Ryan on the importance of the slots THE preservation of Shannon’s Heathrow slots is of fundamental importance to much of the region’s economy, and ensuring connectivity continues beyond next September should be a priority for the region’s politicians. More than 15 years ago – well before the precariousness of the slots really came into focus after they were transferred to Belfast – Shannon Town Council had called for them to be ring fenced for the Clare airport. However, that did not happen, still has not happened, and it is very possible that next autumn they could be lost once more. In 2007 Aer Lingus hoped to bury news of its decision to transfer four Heathrow slots from Shannon to Belfast, by leaking the information on the August Bank Holiday weekend. That didn’t work at all though, and even though the economy was booming at the time, a major campaign began, encompassing politicians, tourism industry figures, some leading multinational companies …

TD accuses State of having no plan as Aer Lingus’ Shannon commitment runs its course SHANNON Airport’s link to Heathrow could be removed from September of next year, with little sign that the Government has plans to preserve it. The Heathrow link is provided by Aer Lingus, the former State airline, but there is no guarantee that will continue beyond next autumn. In the Dáil Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said that whether Aer Lingus continues with it or not is a matter for the airline. Heathrow is a global hub airport offering connectivity to a massive number of onward destinations, and the fact that Shannon has a link to it (albeit one temporarily suspended due to Covid-19) is vital to foreign direct investment and tourism in Clare and the surrounding counties. In a parliamentary question, Clare TD Michael McNamara asked the Minister to outline actions that have been taken to ensure Shannon-Heathrow connectivity, given that the seven-year ownership of the …