The campaign group set up to oppose the ending of the Aer Lingus service from Shannon to Heathrow is expected today to seek an urgent meeting with both the Taoiseach and the Minister for Transport.
At a meeting today the steering committee of the group, which comprises business and tourism interests as well as trade unions, is also expected to discuss its planned legal challenge to the decision. At its first meeting last week the group indicated that the legal action would be based around the argument that at the time the flotation of Aer Lingus there was provision made in the prospectus, memorandum and articles of association of the company that the landing "slots" at Heathrow would be protected.
The group contends that this was not recognised in the decision by Aer Lingus management last week to end the Shannon-Heathrow service and use the "slots" to facilitate a new route from Belfast to London.
Shannon Development chairman John Brassil, a member of the group, said yesterday it was not happy with comments by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey and Aer Lingus chief executive Dermot Mannion over the weekend that the potential impact on the local economy of the ending of the Heathrow service was being exaggerated.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary is to outline his company's response to the ending of the Shannon- Heathrow route by Aer Lingus at a press conference in Shannon this morning. Ryanair owns 25 per cent of Aer Lingus and has opposed the plan to end the Heathrow route.
Last week it proposed that the Government, which also owns just over 25 per cent of the former State airline, should join forces with it to attempt to have the decision regarding the Heathrow route reversed.
The Government has declined to take up the Ryanair offer.
There was speculation locally last night that Ryanair may consider an expansion of its services from Shannon. A spokeswoman for the company declined to comment on its plans in advance of today's announcement.
Meanwhile, the Aer Lingus employee share ownership trust, which owns about 12 per cent of the airline, is to hold a special meeting tomorrow to discuss the decision to end the Shannon-Heathrow service.
The meeting had been sought last week by Noel Dowling, of the trade union Siptu, who is a director of the trust.
It is understood that in his letter to the chairman of the trust Mr Dowling suggested that the Esot should examine urgently what steps are open to it to influence a reversal of the decision to pull out of Shannon.
This could involve the convening of an extraordinary general meeting of the company and it is understood that the letter maintained that the board should consider the prospect of co-operating with other shareholders to this end.
Separately, a report being drawn up by employers' group Ibec on the economic impact of the ending of the route is now expected to be available towards the end of the week.
