Tag Archives: Shannon airport

A LIMERICK TD who argued against supports for aviation during discussion of the Finance Bill 2021 has been severely criticised, given the crisis facing Shannon Airport, writes Owen Ryan. During the course of the debate Deputy Richard O’Donoghue said that “Significant incentives have been given to the aviation industry, which is carbon exempt.” He added that the sector ” enjoys a hefty €634 million tax break via exemptions relating to jet fuel. Airlines receive €2.4 billion through exemptions from excise duty, carbon tax and the National Oil Reserve Agency levy on fuel for commercial and international flights.” He said that “It would take a year for one acre of forestry to absorb the CO2 emissions produced by a one-way flight from Dublin to New York.” He also said that in 2019 the airline industry brought 38 million passenger through Irish airports, working out at half a tonne of carbon per passenger each way. Deputy O’Donoghue said that farmers in contrast …

A flight which took off from Shannon on Sunday morning bound for Lanzarote, had to turn back due to a medical emergency on board. The Ryanair flight left Shannon at 8.20am, but had to return and landed at Shannon again at 9.46am. Members of the Shannon Airport fire rescue service and the National Ambulance Service were on hand to meet the plane which landed safely at 9.46am. A passenger was transferred to University Hospital Limerick for treatment. The flight resumed its journey to Lanzarote at 10.55am.

A US-bound cargo jet was forced to turn around over the North Atlantic and divert to Shannon Airport this morning after the crew reported a mechanical problem, reports Pat Flynn. United Parcel Service (UPS) flight UPS-232 was travelling from East Midlands airport in the UK to Philadelphia in the US at the time. The scheduled cargo service had departed Cologne, Germany earlier in the morning and made a planned stop at East Midlands. The Boeing 747-440(F) jet, with three crew on board, had departed from East Midlands at around 5.20am and was about three hours into its journey when the crew requested permission to turn around and divert to Shannon Airport. The pilots had been in contact with air traffic controllers at the Irish Aviation Authority’s North Atlantic Communications Centre at Ballygirreen at the time. The crew advised controllers they had a “mechanical issue with some flight controls”. It’s understood the issue was associated with one of the jet’s hydraulic …

THERE was good news for Shannon this morning as Aer Lingus committed to restoring key services from Shannon and it continued this afternoon with United Airlines announcing it will resume Shannon-Newark/New York from March 27 of next year. Mary Considine, CEO of Shannon Group said: “The restoration of this service is another welcome boost for transatlantic connectivity to our region and the broader west of Ireland. “United Airlines is a highly valued airline partner of Shannon and we are delighted to have been able to work with them to restore this vital transatlantic service. Its restoration is a vote of confidence by the airline and another major milestone as we continue to rebuild Shannon Airport’s air services and fulfil our role as an economic driver for tourism, business and social connectivity.” Ms Considine said it is more great news for the airport, as it emerges from the pandemic. “Earlier today Aer Lingus announced its return on JFK New York and …

HOLIDAY options from Shannon Airport are set for a welcome boost from next weekend as the airport launches three new Ryanair services to Fuerteventura, Birmingham and Budapest. The Fuerteventura service will commence on October 31 and operate weekly on Sundays. It will depart Shannon at 6.20am. A new twice weekly service to Birmingham will operate from November 1 on Mondays and Fridays departing Shannon at 7.40am both days. The new Budapest service operating twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays from November 3 will depart Shannon at 5.25pm and 7.45pm respectively. A new Turin service will commence weekly from December. These flights are part of a series of new services announced by Ryanair for their Winter season which included services to Gran Canaria, London Luton and Edinburgh which are already operating. Welcoming the commencement of the new air services Mary Considine, CEO, Shannon Group, which owns and manages Shannon Airport said: “This is another milestone moment in our efforts to rebuild …

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 …

ON Tuesday a crash-exercise was staged at Shannon to test the response of the airport to such an event, writes Owen Ryan. The airport’s co-operation with primary emergency agencies and other key stakeholders who would be called on in the event of a major aircraft accident at the airport was also under the microscope. Participating agencies include Shannon Airport, Clare County Council Fire Service, An Garda Síochána Clare Division, the Health Service Executive, the Irish Coast Guard, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) and Shannon Foynes Port Authority. Commenting on the crash-exercise, Niall Maloney, Shannon Airport Operations & Commercial Director said: “Crash-exercises are conducted every two years at Shannon Airport as a condition of our aerodrome certification and we use the opportunity then in conjunction with the other emergency services to test the regional major emergency plan and site-specific arrangements for the airport. “It was also an opportunity to test our airport’s state-of-the-art High Reach Extendable Turret (HRET) fire tenders. Using …

THIS week’s National Development Plan has promised that more support will be made available to Shannon Airport going forward. “In line with the 2015 ‘National Aviation Policy for Ireland’, Cork and Shannon Airports will continue to be supported in their roles as key tourism and business gateways for their regions, particularly with regard to the development of niche markets,” the report stated. It said that Shannon may soon be able to access funding that up until now was reserved for smaller competitors. “Airports that facilitate international connectivity, and handle less than 1 million annual passengers, are eligible to apply for grant aid under the new 2021 – 2025 Programme. “Eligible airports include Donegal, Kerry and Ireland West (Knock). However, given the impacts of Covid on passenger numbers, Shannon and Cork airports are likely to be eligible for funding under this Programme in 2022 and potentially 2023.” It also said that aviation will be encouraged to wean itself off fossil fuels. …