Tag Archives: Mary Considine

RYANAIR has delivered an early “Christmas present” to Shannon Airport following its decision to re-open its base with one aircraft and the recommencement of 14 routes from April 1. According to Ryanair, a new five-year deal on airport charges, which was finalised between the Shannon Group and the airline in recent days, will create more than 330 direct and indirect jobs. Ryanair will reopen its Shannon base and operate 14 routes from Shannon for summer 2021 from Shannon Airport to the following destinations in 2021: Alicante, Barcelona-Reus, Faro, Krakow, Kaunas, Lanzarote, London Gatwick, London Stansted, Malaga, Manchester, Palma, Tenerife, Warsaw and Wroclaw. Last October, Shannon Airport was dealt a hammer blow when Ryanair announced it was closing its Shannon base for the winter months. With transatlantic closed down already and the Shannon-Heathrow route also suspended, Shannon Airport only has a very small number of scheduled passenger flights per week. In an interview with the Clare Champion, chief executive officer, Mary …

ALREADY struggling, Shannon’s woes were compounded on Wednesday, as it emerged that Ryanair will now have no flights to or from the airport between November 14 and December 12. With Aer Lingus having pulled its Heathrow service, and transatlantic services not running either, it means Shannon will be without any scheduled passenger services at all for a number of weeks, although it will still be open to service cargo, general aviation, transit business and hangar movements. It puts Shannon at one of the lowest ebbs in its history and on Wednesday it also emerged that the strategically crucial Heathrow service won’t be returned until April at the earliest. Reacting to the decision, Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine said, “We are extremely disappointed with the news; it is a further illustration of the devastating impact of the pandemic on the aviation sector. This latest development effectively means we will have no scheduled services at Shannon for a month.” She said the …

RYANAIR’S announcement of the closure of its Shannon base is a big setback, Shannon Group’s Chief Executive Mary Considine has acknowledged today. “This is very disappointing news not only for Shannon based Ryanair employees and all our airport team, but for the whole region who rely on the services that Ryanair provide. We have done everything in our power to retain the base. “In July, Ryanair resumed services to 16 destinations from Shannon, and as a result of today’s announcement this will see their operation at Shannon reduced to 8 flights serving Stansted, Manchester and Wroclaw for the winter period. “The aviation industry is on its knees with further flight restrictions being imposed in EU countries as the virus rates increase. What we need now is a clear pathway to recovery for aviation. We had hoped that it would start with a harmonised EU traffic light system. While this was endorsed by Ireland, the measures proposed fall short of what …

SHANNON Airport has never seen such a crisis and its passenger numbers will be down by around 80% this year, CEO Mary Considine told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport on Wednesday. “We have been through many crises in the past, but never on such a global scale; this is unprecedented. Like airports globally, Shannon has witnessed an almost total collapse in airport traffic, connectivity and revenues,” she said. Shannon Group’s revenue and passenger numbers are in freefall, she added, “The figures are stark. Our passenger numbers have been declining since scheduled services recommenced on July 1. In August they were down 86% and last month they were down 91%. If this trend continues, we expect to see a decline of 80% in passenger numbers for this year compared to the previous year. As a result of these and other losses in the Group, we expect overall Group revenue to be down almost 60% by the end of this year. …

SHANNON Airport is facing massive problems this week, with Aer Lingus considering moving its US services away from the Clare airport and Ryanair warning staff it may close its Shannon base for the winter. At the moment Shannon’s only real passenger business is with Ryanair, while the loss of the Aer Lingus transatlantic business going forward would be a crippling blow for Clare tourism, as well as being very detrimental to the prospects of retaining and developing US investment in the west of Ireland. Speaking to The Clare Champion on Wednesday, Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine said it is very important that the Government finally adjusts the restrictions on travel. “We are looking at the worst year in history for aviation, not just here in Shannon and nationally, but globally. Ryanair and Aer Lingus are really important customers to Shannon and I think they have stated very clearly the difficulty in restoring services or really kick starting aviation with the …

Among the people appearing before the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response today is Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine. Representatives of Ryanair, Aer Lingus and the DAA are also appearing before the committee in Leinster House. Passenger numbers at Shannon have fallen very significantly since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, while some Shannon Heritage sites have remained closed and others, including Bunratty Castle, are due to close for the season at the end of August. Shannon Group is also responsible for the operation of Shannon Heritage.  Speaking before the meeting, Committee chairman, Michael McNamara TD said: “The catastrophic impact the pandemic response has had on the aviation industry was outlined to Committee members, last week by unions. TDs were warned of a “tsunami” of redundancies and the potential liquidation of Aer Lingus. “We will continue our investigation into this sector, when we hear from officials from the management of Dublin, Cork and Shannon Airports and officials from airlines; Aer Lingus …

REDUNDANCIES and severe pay cuts are being demanded of Shannon Airport staff, while its managing director is about to depart. A letter sent to airport employees on Monday informed them of a wide range of cuts, which Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine claims are necessary to deal with the fallout from Covid-19. On Friday, it was announced that the airport’s managing director Andrew Murphy is leaving. This follows the recent departure of Niall O’Callaghan, the managing director of Shannon Heritage, the tourism arm of Shannon Group. The aviation sector globally is being hammered by Covid-19, with cuts being introduced at many airlines and airports, and in her letter to staff on Monday, Ms Considine stated that things look very bleak for Shannon. “The outlook for this year, and beyond, is stark and the scale of the challenge we are facing is unprecedented. “Currently, expected year-end airport passenger numbers are forecast to be down by approximately 70% on last year. “However, …

Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe has said that last evening’s announcement about job cuts at Shannon Airport was a premature step. A letter circulated to workers informing them of the decision, which has been attributed to the unprecedented challenges in the aviation sector. Voluntary severance packages, reduced working hours and career breaks are all being offered. “This is a huge blow to not only the airport but also the county and region as a whole,” said Deputy Crowe. “I feel the decision was taken prematurely and it would have been more prudent to wait to see is contained in the July stimulus package in terms of support for the airport. “This week, I’ve been in contact with staff at Shannon Airport and Shannon Heritage and based on their stories, I’ve a list of 29 questions compiled which I will be raising directly with Mary Considine today. “I also intend to seek a meeting with Micheál Martin to discuss …