Responding to yesterday’s announcement by Ryanair that they will cut their services running from Shannon Airport for the rest of January, Sinn Féin TD for Clare, Violet-Anne Wynne, has called for supports offered to Shannon recently to be extended beyond 2022.

Teachta Wynne said:

“Shannon Airport has had the bad luck of falling between the cracks of statutory support.

“It has not received the same level of supports as the other state airports that are still under the remit of the Dublin Airport Authority, i.e. Dublin and Cork. 

“But it also has not been incorporated into the category of regional airports, which means it has been, up until now, excluded from applying for funding ring-fenced for our country’s smaller airports.

“I support Shannon Group’s call for the permanent inclusion of Shannon Airport in the Regional Airports Programme.

“This will allow the airport to attract more resources and funding to allow them to remain buoyant in these very challenging times.

“Multi-annual funding is a key ask for the group as it will allow for forward planning and necessary developments that span across more than a 12-month period.

“I also welcome and congratulate the excellent work being done by the Group to secure three transatlantic routes that will become operational later this year – this really is excellent news for the region.

“I am working to support the development of a Limerick-Shannon rail line, which would make Shannon the first airport in the state to be connected infrastructurally by rail. I am eager to see the costings on this capital project to see if it is viable.

“Footfall in Shannon has been decreasing since 2008, hit its lowest in 2012 and has only marginally increased since then. 

“Obviously, consistent state support is key to returning activity at Shannon Airport to its former glory and, by doing so, benefitting the Midwest region in its entirety.”