Representatives of Shannon Group and the Department of Transport should appear before an Oireachtas committee to discuss the group's future, following the surprise resignation of its chairman after six months in the job, a Fianna Fáil TD has claimed.
The call from the party’s Tourism and Aviation spokesperson, Cathal Crowe, came after it emerged that Pádraig Ó Céidigh had stepped down from the position.
Shannon Group is responsible for Shannon Airport and the International Aviation Services Centre, as well as Shannon Heritage and a commercial property portfolio in the mid-west and elsewhere.
"I, like so many people in this region with high interest and concern for Shannon Airport, saw huge hope in Ó Céidigh’s appointment," said Mr Crowe.
"We need to know why he is no longer able to fulfil his role and also appoint a suitable replacement ASAP."
An experienced businessman and founder of Aer Arann, Mr Ó Céidigh took up the role in September last year.
"His decades of experience in aviation led to renewed hope for Shannon Airport – I had significant optimism for the airport’s future and had hoped we would see a return to the glory days of the 1990s," Mr Crowe said.
Shannon Airport, like most airports around the world, suffered greatly during the pandemic because of the travel restrictions put in place.
Addressing the Oireachtas Transport Committee in October, a month following his appointment, Mr Ó Céidigh said he hoped to see traffic numbers at the airport return to pre-pandemic levels by 2024.
He said Government supports would be necessary in order to facilitate such growth and called for Shannon to be included in the State's Regional Airport Programme.
At the time of that hearing, it was reported that the committee would write to the Transport Minister to suggest that Mr Ó Céidigh be appointed as an executive chair, to allow him to have a more hands on role.
"I would like to thank Pádraig for his contribution to the Group as we continue to rebuild our business in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic," said Mary Considine, CEO, Shannon Group.
"I would like to wish him well in his future endeavours."
A spokesperson for the Department of Transport confirmed Minister Eamon Ryan, who is currently travelling on Government business, had received Mr Ó Céidigh’s letter of resignation.
But she said the department had no comment to make on the matter at this time.
Shannon Group is worth an estimated €3.6bn and supports 46,500 jobs across the mid-west region.
Mr Ó Céidigh’s appointment came following a 13-month period when the position of chair was vacant.
In February of last year the Minister for Transport said he would not be proceeding with the planned appointment of Aaron Forde as chair of Shannon Group, after a controversy around Mr Forde’s use of social media.
