Tag Archives: Padraig Ó Céidigh

WHEN Pádraig Ó Céidigh was appointed chairman of Shannon Group last September it was seen as very positive for the airport, but he resigned in frustration last week, after less than six months in situ. The chairman is involved in setting the strategic direction of the airport and the wider Shannon Group and as such is very important to the regional economy. Following his resignation Mr Ó Céidigh declined to be interviewed by the Clare Champion, but sources say that he was very frustrated. The source said he felt it was proving very difficult to pursue the objectives that he wanted, and that he found it difficult to forge positive relationships with certain other people within the Group. Given his experience in aviation and the level of success he enjoyed, the Ó Céidigh appointment last year was seen as a smart one, and the Galway man was clearly enthusiastic about taking on the role at the outset. Following the decision …

LESS than six months ago aviation entrepreneur Pádraig Ó Céidigh was appointed chairman of the board of Shannon Group to widespread approval, but he resigned on Wednesday due to mounting frustration. When approached on Wednesday Mr Ó Céidigh declined to comment following his sudden exit after such a short period of time, but other sources have said he was quite disillusioned. It is understood that there were differences of opinion between the new chairman and other senior figures attached to Shannon Group, all of whom were in place before his appointment. One person said that Mr Ó Céidigh felt he was “frozen out” since his appointment and was having difficulty pursuing changes that he felt were important for Shannon. Mr Ó Céidigh was only appointed in late September of last year, and while he was clearly enthusiastic at the outset, his tenure has proved to be an extremely short one and yet again the process of finding a replacement must …

IT is understood tonight that Pádraig Ó Céidigh is set to leave the position of Chair of the board of Shannon Group, just six months after his appointment. When he was appointed last autumn it was seen as a hugely positive development for Shannon Airport, with the Galway man having a wealth of experience and a history of success in the aviation sector. However it now appears that his tenure will prove to be a very short one, and the search for a chairperson will have to begin all over again. A former Senator, Mr Ó Céidigh once remortgaged his house to purchase Aer Arann, before massively expanding the airline. At the time of his appointment, he described chairing Shannon Group as “probably the most challenging job in Irish aviation.” When Mr Ó Céidigh took the position it had been vacant for some time, following the end of Rose Hynes’ tenure.

Foreign Minister open to full-time role for Padraig Ó Ceidigh in Shannon Group, writes Dan Danaher FOREIGN Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has defended the government’s record on supporting Shannon Airport in the wake of claims it could be doing more to assist the Shannon Group and airport from the havoc wreaked by Covid-19. “This has been a devastating period for the aviation industry. The Shannon region is so impacted by the activity or the non-activity in the airport. “We have seen this in Cork Airport too, but more so in Shannon because of the linkage between the connectivity at the airport and so many businesses in a very wide radius of the airport. “Transatlantic traffic has collapsed because the US has effectively banned EU citizens from flying to the US. For a period US citizens were not allowed into Ireland either without Covid-19 certification,” he said. Although Pádraig Ó Céidigh is being appointed as part-time non executive chair of Shannon …

WITH Shannon Airport facing a huge challenge to recover traffic, the Oireacthas Joint Committee on Transport Committee is to suggest that Padraig Ó Céidigh be invited to be the full time chair of Shannon Group, expanding on the part time non executive role to which he is being appointed. Mr Ó Céidigh appeared before the committee today and was quite positive about a proposal from Senator Timmy Dooley that Shannon look at starting its own airline, The Fianna Fáil Senator asked “Is it now time for Shannon Airport to look at owning its own airline, to setting up an airline to serve routes that aren’t already served?” He said it would initially be a small airline, and that aircraft can be obtained relatively cheaply. “It certainly could be done in conjunction with the leasing companies. I think they’d give very favourable rates in the short term.” Mr Ó Céidigh, who bought Aer Arann in 1994 before expanding it dramatically, praised …

TUESDAY’S unveiling of former Aer Arann boss Pádraig Ó Céidigh as the next Chairman of Shannon Group was almost universally welcomed in Clare, given the Galway man’s depth of experience. He comes in at a very uncertain time for the airport, as it seeks to find its niche in a changed aviation landscape. “I actually believe that the time we are in now is the most challenging time in the history of Shannon Airport. As a result of that my role as the non-executive Chairman is probably the most challenging job in Irish aviation,” he told The Clare Champion on Wednesday. While one could see that as taking pressure off himself, that doesn’t seem to be his intention, because he also sets targets for his three year term that may not easily be realised. “Success to me in three years would be to get back to 2019 levels, with the passenger numbers and broadly the routes we had in 2019. …