Several mayors from the mid-west today called for people to join a weekend rally calling for the maintenance of a Shannon-Heathrow air link.
The region's leaders have asked for the public to stand and fight the move at a demonstration in Limerick city centre.
Mayors of Limerick city, Clare and Tipperary north, and the cathaoirleach of Limerick county council have joined with the Atlantic Connectivity Alliance (ACA) and the Shannon Action Group to call for the rally.
Michael Vaughan of the ACA said: "We want people to come out on Saturday and show the Government their resolve to hold them to account and reverse this decision - a strong government needs strong regions," he said.
The Save-the-Shannon-Slots rally is being held at 2pm in Limerick's O'Connell Street.
An internal review in the Department of Transport is under way after Minister for Noel Dempsey said his officials did not notify him of the proposed Shannon cutback for six weeks. They first received a memo about the move in mid-June.
The Minister told the Dáil at the end of last month he was told Heathrow slots would be transferred to a new Belfast hub at a meeting on August 3rd with Aer Lingus chairman John Sharman and chief executive Dermot Mannion.
The airline said the Government was only notified of the executive decision in favour of the North a few days before it was made public.
"It is beyond credibility that a major memo about the future of Shannon airport that was marked for the Minister's attention would not be shown to him for six weeks," Limerick Mayor Ger Fahy said.