24/10/2007

Chairman Departs Shannon Over Belfast Move

The man in charge of running Shannon Airport has quit in protest at not being told of plans to end the Aer Lingus’ Shannon-Heathrow flights, in order to open a new Northern Ireland-based hub.

Pat Shanahan said his position as the executive chairman had become untenable, after the Dublin Airport Authority failed to tell him it knew the airline intended to move its Shannon base to Belfast.

Meanwhile, the airline itself remains bullish after recently settling a dispute with pilots over pay and conditions for the new base at Belfast International Airport and is already predicting that the Belfast operation will be profitable within a year.

Its first flights from Belfast - to Amsterdam – start next month, and plans to fly to nine destinations – including the contentious London Heathrow route – are at an advanced stage.

Commercial director Enda Corneille said there was also scope for further growth over the next few years.

(BMcC)




Related Irish News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

04 December 2013
Boost For Shannon Airport As Aer Lingus Expands Routes To The UK
Fine Gael Clare TD and Chair of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee, Pat Breen, has said that the announcement that Aer Lingus is expanding its routes to the UK is yet another boost for Shannon Airport. The airline has announced it is opening a new service from Shannon to Bristol, with additional flights to Birmingham and Manchester.
22 June 2009
BA Uses Shannon For US-Bound Business Executives
UK airline, British Airways has launched a new 'business-only' flight from London City to New York, stopping off in Shannon. The airline, which announced record annual losses of £401 million last month, is to charge up to £5,000 return for a seat on the twice daily flights from London City Airport to JFK, New York.
19 October 2007
Ryanair Hits Out As Aer Lingus Takes Flight
With Aer Lingus proceeding with its plan to close the Shannon-Heathrow route and open a new Belfast hub instead, its biggest rival (and ironically, its biggest shareholder), Ryanair is now set to provide three additional daily flights to London to ensure Shannon Airport's capacity and traffic does not fall as a result of this Aer Lingus closure.
04 December 2012
1000 Jobs For Shannon Dependent On Independence
Some 1000 jobs are expected to announced in the aviation sector as Shannon Airport prepares to become a totally independent by the end of the year. Last May the government announced that Shannon would separate from Dublin Airport Authority, with Shannon Airport and Shannon Development becoming a new commercial entity in public ownership.
13 December 2007
Shannon Discounts To Entice Year-Round Flights
Now that Aer Lingus has abandoned its London Heathrow connection at the airport in favour of a new Belfast International 'hub', the management at Shannon airport has been busy developing new initiatives. They have responded by outlining a programme of incentives aimed at securing more year-round transatlantic traffic.