Sinn Féin Senator Paul Gavan, speaking in the Seanad this evening on the future of Shannon Airport, said that action is vitally needed from government to secure the future of Shannon and the Mid-West region.

 The Limerick Senator said;

“We in Sinn Féin have put a motion before the Seanad this evening to reverse the previous decision to create a stand-alone airport and to re-integrate Shannon Airport within a national airport authority framework. 

“Shannon has experienced declining passenger numbers in the years since becoming stand-alone, while Dublin Airport becomes ever more overwhelmingly dominant. Airports should not be in direct competition; rather we need to use the collective leverage of airports under a national airport authority.

“The government need to listen to the employees and trade unions at Shannon and hear that the current structure is a mistake and is not working.

“The timing now for a decision is crucial, as a review by the Minster is currently underway, and structural changes are needed to move from a stand-alone airport to a model that previously proved to work.

“Government must see the potential that is already there in Limerick and the Mid-West to grow, to improve infrastructure that is already in place and re-integrate Shannon to build collective strength.”