The move by Aer Lingus to withdraw its Shannon to Heathrow flights was wrong and the Government will do everything it can to "persuade" the airline to reverse the decision, Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea said today.
Speaking to reporters for the first time since the announcement last week, Mr O'Dea said the damage to the region that would be caused by the Aer Lingus move could not be overstated and that he still hoped it could be changed.
Mr O'Dea, who is a TD for Limerick-East, said: "I'm not conceding yet that Aer Lingus can't be forced
Minister for Defence and Limerick East TD, Willie O'Dea
to change - or can't be persuaded, sorry persuaded - to change their minds.
"We will sit down and we will try and persuade them that they are wrong and we will try and persuade them to change their minds. If they don't change their minds then there are other options."
Mr O'Dea said he would be leaving the Cabinet in no doubt about his determination to save the Shannon-Heathrow routes.
Aer Lingus chief executive Dermot Mannion said yesterday the airline is not planning to discuss its controversial plans to withdraw from the route with shareholders in the company.
He said in an interview that the decision had been taken by the executive management although the board had been informed in recent weeks.
Clare County Council, meanwhile, held an emergency meeting today to discuss the Shannon issue.
Councillors unanimously called upon Minister for Finance Brian Cowen to call an extraordinary general meeting of Aer Lingus in order to rescind the company's decision to pull out of the Heathrow slots.
Earlier today it emerged that Dublin-based airline Cityjet is considering starting routes from Shannon airport to London City and Charles De Gaulle (CDG) in Paris.
It was revealed this morning that Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey held talks with senior executives of Cityjet to discuss the possible use of Shannon.
Cityjet spokesman
Business and tourism interests say the loss of Heathrow as a global hub will lead to a loss of trade and, in some cases, redundancy and possible closure.
While some local interests welcomed the Cityjet talks, they said the move would not provide the same connectivity to Europe as the Heathrow routes operated by Aer Lingus.
Cityjet operates out of Dublin to CDG in Paris, which offers around 500 routes around the world - more than Heathrow. The airline has a fleet of 21 aircraft.
The company is wholly owned by Air France but is based in Swords, Co Dublin,where it employs 600 people. Cityjet also operates from Dublin and Belfast to London city.
A Cityjet spokesman warned against over-optimism, however, and said the company keeps possible new routes under regular review.
"The Minister [Noel Dempsey] had been in touch with Cityjet to see if it was feasible to do a route to Shannon. The company said it was willing to sit down with the board of Shannon airport to see if we could revisit it as a destination," the spokesman said.
He stressed the company would be examining the possibility of running routes to both its destinations from Ireland "based on financial feasibility".
"None of us are in a hurry. There's time to go and do the sums, there is time to look at it in the cold light of day."
Mr Dempsey has also expressed disappointment over the loss of the Heathrow route but maintains the axing is a commercial decision and that the Government would not use its 25 per cent shareholding in the company to influence.
Ryanair announced today that its chief executive, Michael O'Leary, will outline the airline's response to the Aer Lingus issue at a press briefing in Shannon tomorrow.
The Unite union said it would not resist any attempt by Aer Lingus to offer lesser terms and conditions to workers at Belfast compared to those in Shannon.
Regional secretary Jimmy Kelly said: "We are not going to tolerate Aer Lingus or anyone else parachuting into Belfast and using workers' wages and conditions in the drive to push down costs."
Additional reporting: PA