Political reaction:The Government is under intense pressure from Fianna Fáil Ministers and TDs in the midwest as well as the Opposition parties to intervene over Aer Lingus's decision to transfer its Shannon-Heathrow service to Belfast.
Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea accused Aer Lingus chief executive Dermot Mannion of acting like a "latter-day Oliver Cromwell". He joined junior ministerial colleague Tony Killeen and five party backbenchers from the region in calling on their own Government to intervene to reverse the decision.
Fine Gael and Labour accused the Fianna Fáil TDs of cynical politics and said that if they were truly serious about the damage the decision will do to the region they should withdraw their support from the Government.
Mr O'Dea said he had spoken "in detail" with the Taoiseach and with Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey about the Aer Lingus decision to withdraw its daily Shannon-Heathrow service.
"Dermot Mannion can't come along on a bank holiday Monday and turn into a latterday Oliver Cromwell," he said.
Mr O'Dea, who returns this evening from holiday in London, will attend a meeting of Fianna Fáil midwest deputies and councillors next Wednesday to discuss the situation.
He said he would do all in his power to get Aer Lingus to hold an emergency meeting of its shareholders, so that the decision can be reversed. "The decision as I see it flies in the face of the Government's regional policy and should be reversed, as the economy as a whole will suffer," he said. "The Government has a 25 per cent share in Aer Lingus and as far as I am aware under company law has certain rights."
Minister of State for Environment and Energy Tony Killeen also backed the campaign to save the service.
"We must move quickly to ensure either that Aer Lingus continues to serve the Shannon-Heathrow route or target another carrier to take up this attractive base of 350,000 passengers and build on it," he said.
Clare Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley called on the Government to resolve the crisis even if this required emergency legislation. Mr Dooley said the link between Shannon and Heathrow was as important as the Shannon tunnel or the West-Link toll bridge. He claimed the Government should take ownership of the access route in the same way as it purchased the West-Link bridge.
Fine Gael transport spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell accused the TDs of a cynical damage limitation exercise.
"They are criticising their own political masters because they are terrified by the inability of their own party to respond to the crisis. This hand-wringing cannot disguise the fact that hundreds, potentially thousands, of jobs are at risk and countless tourism projects are in danger of stalling," she said.
"After two months in power the Fianna Fáil-led Government has demonstrated how it plans to govern for the next five years."
Limerick East Labour TD Jan O'Sullivan called on the seven local Fianna Fáil deputies to seek an immediate meeting with the Taoiseach and convey the situation facing the midwest and west.
"Crying crocodile tears in public by Fianna Fáil deputies when they voted to privatise Aer Lingus with no regard for the consequences is not much consolation to the affected workers or the region," she said. "If the Government does not ensure the retention of the Shannon /Heathrow service then [ they should withdraw their support for a Government that does not support the midwest and western regions."