Aran Island residents attended a public meeting on Inis Mór last night to discuss the future of the air service to the three islands.
Their concerns follow the decision by Minister for the Gaeltacht Joe McHugh to award a four-year contract to a private helicopter company.
Aer Arann has operated a service to the Aran islands for well over four decades but from October Executive Helicopters will begin offering daily return flights from Galway Airport.
Mr McHugh said the Woodford-based company was the "preferred tenderers" for the four-year air service contract.
Aer Arann owner Padraig Ó Ceidigh has described the decision as the "single-biggest blow" to the Aran Islands in recent history.
There are now fears for the future of 40 jobs at the airline.
Islanders have also expressed concern about the suitability of a helicopter service in adverse weather conditions.
The location of Galway Airport instead of the airport at Connemara has also been criticised.
Representatives from the Aran Islands are due to meet Mr McHugh to have their concerns addressed.
Mr McHugh has appealed to the community to give the new helicopter service a chance.
He cited a recent report which found that the cost to the State of the current service has risen significantly but that the number of passengers has not increased.
He said the report showed that the air service does not significantly increase the number of tourists visiting the islands.
Under the new contract a ceiling of €900,000 will apply to the annual subsidy payable, which is a cut of 30%.
Islanders strongly dispute the findings of the report.
