Ryanair decision on Shannon a blow to mid-west
Posted on September 09, 2010 at 11:59 AM
The announcement by Ryanair of its decision to close down its services between Shannon and Paris and to curtail its services between Shannon and Stansted and Shannon and Gatwick from 1 November 2010, comes as a severe blow to the people working in Shannon Airport and to the economy of the Mid-West.
Clearly the new increased charges imposed by the Dublin Airport Authority and the €10 airport travel tax are crippling penalties for all airlines in the middle of a recession.
Ryanair is clearly also feeling the pinch. Only last week it announced its decision to close down its entire operation at Belfast City Airport. Already it has reduced its services at Dublin Airport by 20% this year and proposes to make further cuts in its winter schedule this year.
No private airline has any loyalty to any airport or any region. Aer Lingus has severely curtailed its operations out of Shannon earlier this year and has moved services to Belfast.
In the absence of a coherent business plan airline companies have no incentive to develop their business in Shannon. The Government has shamefully neglected to address the challenges facing Shannon over the last two decades. It has developed no alternative plan for the ailing airport and for the Shannon region as transatlantic flights continue to dwindle. Until a coherent transport and aviation plan is produced and implemented Shannon Airport and its hinterland will continue to decline.
