EDITORIAL

THERE was yet more good news emanating from Shannon Airport this week, as Aer Arann and Aer Lingus combined resources to announce four new routes to the UK.
From July 1, Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Aer Arann, will provide direct links from Shannon to Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Glasgow. Manchester and Glasgow will be served seven days a week, while flights to the other two airports will operate every day except Saturday. It is understood the new operations will create 20 direct jobs at Shannon.
Aer Lingus Regional’s arrival comes hot on the heels of announcements by Delta and Continental Airlines in respect of new transatlantic services from the airport. As part of a commitment to reinstate a year-round service between Shannon and New York JFK, Delta recently resumed a daily service for the summer season and will operate four services a week during the winter.
Continental has also launched its additional summer service to its Newark hub. The second daily service will operate four times a week until September 8, bringing to 11 the number of weekly flights from Shannon during that period.
Credit must go to the Shannon Airport team and their key contacts for their efforts to win the new business at such a critical time. It has lifted the gloom at the airport which had prevail since Ryanair slashed services at the end of March, only to have the situation compounded by flight disruptions for several weeks due to the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano. The new services will help cushion Shannon from an over reliance on one particular airline.
The new Aer Lingus Regional Shannon-UK routes come as a huge boost to the Mid-West at a most critical time for tourism and business in general, which has been on a downward slide for quite some time. The routes, some of which were previously available from Shannon, will restore connectivity for business and leisure passengers.
The announcement marks the second phase of the franchise agreement between Aer Arann and Aer Lingus, the first involving operations from Dublin and Cork.
Aer Arann chief executive Paul Schűtz said this week that the new Shannon operations offer both business and leisure passengers a “quality service with excellent frequency”.
Now that the services are lined up, the challenge facing people in the region is to ensure that passenger loads in both directions justify the faith of Aer Lingus Regional in investing in Shannon.
Given the chorus of welcome for the new services, this shouldn’t be a major hurdle to overcome.
Already, Shannon Development chief executive, Dr Vincent Cunnane, said the new routes will assist the organisation in its tourism promotional role. To support the new routes, Shannon Development will be launching a major marketing and promotions campaign to encourage UK visitors from the major population centres of Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Bristol to holiday in the Mid-West.
In a joint statement, Ennis, Limerick and Shannon Chambers described the announcement as “great news for industry and for the competitiveness of the region”.
Another group that understands the importance of having adequate links between Shannon and the UK is the American Chamber of Commerce, which represents many US many companies in the region.
“In today’s world, connectivity is the lifeblood to doing business. The presence of over 100 US multinational companies in the West, Mid-West and South Region highlights the importance of enhanced infrastructure at Shannon to retaining and growing this investment,” said Bill Doherty, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce Mid-West Region.
The additional services to the UK are also of particular interest to hoteliers, who see a huge opportunity to tap into large cities for potential visitors. The new services can help increase the profile of Ireland and, in particular, the Shannon and Western regions as a vibrant holiday destination. 
“With a total market of over 62 million people on our doorstep, the UK is Ireland’s largest source of overseas visitors. As such, direct access to key urban centres of population is critical to the development of our tourism offering,” according to Michael Vaughan, chairman, Irish Hotels Federation Shannon branch.
Mayor of Clare Tony Mulcahy sees the combined positive announcements in regard to Shannon in recent weeks as “ not just a vote of confidence in this airport, but also a vote of confidence in the Mid-West Region”.
Unfortunately, in recent years, Shannon has encountered too many false dawns as airlines and services have come and gone. The only way to retain services on routes is to ensure they have a good passenger yield. To this end, an important step would be for leisure or business travellers from this region to fly from Shannon whenever possible.

Limited job creation

THE IDA’s below-par performance on job creation in County Clare has come under the spotlight once again. It has emerged that the Shannon Free Zone was the only part of the county where potential investors were guided to in the first four months of this year.
Details of the IDA’s very limited travels in the Banner County emerged in the Dáil when the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O’Keeffe, responded to a parliamentary question from Deputy Pat Breen.
The minister outlined how, in 2007, Shannon Development arranged eight visits to the Free Zone, while the IDA arranged another six. The following year, Shannon Development brought 10 investors there, while the IDA brought four.
In 2009, Shannon Development brought 12 groups to the Free Zone and the IDA brought six. In the first four months of this year, Shannon Development arranged five visits to the Free Zone, while the IDA arranged another two.
In 2009, the IDA also arranged four visits by potential investors to Ennis but no place else other than Shannon got an opportunity to make a pitch to any company. This doesn’t paint the IDA in a good light with smaller towns and villages, many of which are crying out for investment to reverse the trend of economic decline.
There are plenty of people at a loose end through unemployment who could readily give IDA personnel and potential investors a comprehensive tour of the county and help draw up a long list of places where jobs are needed.