The Minister of State and Clare TD Tony Killeen has said he understands reports that Aer Lingus is about to announce an end to its service between Shannon and Heathrow Airports are correct.
It is understood Aer Lingus will announce tomorrow that the ending of the Shannon-Heathrow link will coincide with a new service between Heathrow and Belfast International Airport, formerly known as Aldergrove.
Mr Killeen said this was bad news on a number of fronts, particularly for employment, as he understood the company may announce that at least 45 jobs would be affected.
Mr Killeen said the decision by Aer Lingus was hard to understand, because although the Shannon to Heathrow service had 'extraordinarily high' load factors, the company said the yield was low. He said it was too soon to judge if it was a business or political decision, and he said the view in the West was that the credibility of Aer Lingus was now in question.
He said the company's decision would have a bad effect on tourism and on business - with the air route to Heathrow by far the most important link for business travellers and the West in general.
Aer Lingus currently operates four flights every day from Shannon to Heathrow. Six services from Belfast to mainland Europe are also expected to be introduced by the airline.
