Furor Grows Over Decision To Cut Shannon-Heathrow Route

New Belfast Service Welcomed In The North, Slammed In The West

Reaction to Aer Lingus' decision to discontinue services from Shannon to Heathrow Airport from January came fast and furious last week.

Expressing the government's disappointment with the decision, Noel Dempsey T.D., Minster for Transport expressed his deep disappointment saying that his "overriding concern is to ensure that the widest possible range of options are available for people in the Midwest to travel to and from the UK, Europe and beyond. In this regard, I fully appreciate the concerns that have been expressed by the various business and tourism interests in the Mid-West."

Noting that he had conveyed the Government's concern at this development to Aer Lingus Chairman John Sharman, he said that he had "asked and received his assurances that Aer Lingus will engage directly and fully with its customers and business and tourism interests in the Shannon region on the implications of this decision.

"I have also spoken with the Executive Chairman of Shannon Airport Authority, Pat Shanahan, and welcome the initiative the Authority is taking to engage with Aer Lingus on this matter, in addition to the efforts they are making to secure other services on the London route."

"In addition, the Department of Transport is working closely with other relevant Departments, including the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism, to address the issues that have arisen," he concluded.

Slammed In The West

The Mayor of Clare reacted angrily to the Government's statement, describing it as "a choreographed slap in the face" to the people of the West of Ireland.

Cllr. Patricia McCarthy said that the Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey had shown gross disregard for the future development of the West of Ireland's economy and a lack of understanding of the situation on the ground by describing the loss of direct services from Shannon Airport to London Heathrow as "not the bee-all and end-all."

Welcomed In The North

Meanwhile, Northern politicians criticised calls for the airline to reconsider its decision, with the DUP claiming that those trying to get the decision reversed were beingm hypocritical.

DUP spokesman Simon Hamilton said that southern politicians talking for years about an all-Ireland economy and are now complaining bitterly when a business decided that its interests were best served in the North.

John Dallat of the SDLP pointed out that Belfast is part of Ireland and insisted that the national interest encompassed the whole island.

Pilots Threaten Strike

Almost 500 Aer Lingus staff have threatened to walk out at midnight next Monday, as a protest at the pay and conditions offered at the airline's new Belfast home.

As the row escalated, the Ryanair, whose chief executive holds 25% of Aer Lingus stock offered to work with the Government and trade unions to get the decision reversed.

Calling for for a voting pact at an extraordinary general meeting, Ryannair chief Michael O'Leary said, "Ryanair has asked Aer Lingus to call an EGM and we will be asking the trade unions and Bertie Ahern's Government to support this motion calling for Shannon's four daily flights to Heathrow to be maintained."

CityJet Looks At Shannon-Paris Service

In a rare bit of good news for the beleagued Shannon Airport this week, Dublin-based airline CityJet has confirmed that it is investigating the possibility of starting a new service from Shannon Airport to Paris.

In a statement released on Tuesday morning, the company said it was planning to visit the airport to discuss the establishment of a service to the French capital. CityJet is a subsidiary of Air France and runs flights from Dublin to London and Paris. If their plans come to fruition, the new service to Paris would be a major boost for the airport.