There are fears for the future of one of the biggest employers in the region in the wake of Aer Lingus's decision to abandon its daily Shannon/Heathrow service.
The general manager of Element Six, which distributes man made diamonds globally out of Shannon, has said the company's 600 employees face a very uncertain future if a replacement carrier or route isn't found before the Aer Lingus service is withdrawn.
Element Six, which was formerly De Beers Industrial Diamonds, has been in Shannon for the last 45 years.
Ken Sullivan is General Manager of Element Six in Shannon and told RTE News last night that some of the jobs at the company are under threat.
And he said the rational for the operation remaining in Shannon was challenged, without a local air service to Heathrow.
This is because like many companies in the region, Element Six is part of a much wider group who've set up in the Shannon on the assumption their customers could easily get to them and their executives could easily connect with the rest of the world.
The common denominator for all that was easy access to Heathrow on what the region's business understood to be a profitable and secure Aer Lingus service.
Also, Shannon based IT company Avocent has told RTE News the Aer Lingus withdrawel will make it much more difficult to pitch for new investment from company headquarters in Alabama.
Both Avocent and Element Six have been building their employment presence in Shannon. Both say 90% of their customers connect via Heathrow when to see their wares.
