Shannon Group has received a commitment from Independent TDs from across the west of Ireland to seek urgent supports for Shannon Airport.
In a meeting with Shannon Group, the TDs were told how business operations at the airport had been "decimated" as a result of the global pandemic.
Shannon Airport anticipates 350,000 passengers in 2020, down from 1.8m passengers in 2019. Shannon Group is facing weekly revenue losses of €1.3m and is expecting annual revenue for 2020 to be down by 80%.
The TDs have committed to urging the Taoiseach and Minister for Transport that Ireland sign up to the EU-wide traffic light system, which is to be agreed upon by the EU Council of Ministers on October 13. The traffic light system will see regions being marked green, orange, or red depending on their rate of cases.
Shannon Group also wants a testing protocol to be agreed at all Irish airports to satisfy the requirements of destination airports.
It also wants the national aviation policy be amended in line with EU law to enable State-owned airports such as Shannon and Cork access State funding for capital expenditure projects.
In a statement, the TDs said, "It was outlined clearly to us that 2020 was shaping up to be a very positive year for Shannon Airport but the collapse of transatlantic passenger traffic, which is essential for the tourism and multinational sectors (FDI) across the west of Ireland, has led to the decimation of the airport and Shannon Heritage. There is a general acceptance internationally that the aviation sector will not return to 2019 levels of business until 2024 at the earliest, but even this target is dependent on State supports being made available to airports like Shannon and Cork. Changes to national aviation policy, which would ensure carriers do not fly exclusively into Dublin, must be matched with the necessary funding."
The delegation that met with Shannon Group represented Independent TDs; Michael McNamara (Clare), Michael Collins (Cork South West), Thomas Pringle (Donegal) Sean Canney, (Galway East) Catherine Connolly, Noel Grealish, (Galway West) Danny Healy Rae, Michael Healy Rae (Kerry), Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick), Michael Fitzmaurice, Denis Naughten (Roscommon Galway), Marian Harkin (Sligo Leitrim) and Mattie McGrath (Tipperary).
