MINISTER FOR Transport Leo Varadkar has confirmed he expects a consultants’ report on the future of Cork and Shannon airports to be on his desk this week.
The 2004 State Airports Act provided for the two airports to be separated from the Dublin Airport Authority. However, the airports received only limited autonomy and the previous government deferred a decision on separation to this year.
In October, Mr Varadkar commissioned the consultants to make recommendations into the options for the ownership of both airports.
Last year Cork recorded 2.4 million passengers, Shannon 1.8 million passengers, while Knock recorded 589,183. With new Ryanair flights, Knock is projecting growth to 725,000 next year.
Vice-president of the Irish Hotels Federation Michael Vaughan said yesterday: “If we stay in a state of chassis it isn’t hard to see that Shannon could be Ireland’s fourth airport. That isn’t acceptable for the region and shouldn’t be acceptable for Government.”
Mr Vaughan said: “Minister Varadkar has delivered a short, sharp shock to the midwest region.”
“Everything is all to play for, and I am more hopeful than I have been in a long time for the airport and the region.”
Mr Vaughan confirmed he has made a submission to the consultants on behalf of the hotels’ federation calling for the airport to be retained within State ownership with a more commercial focus. “I think in the past that Shannon has relied upon too much State support. It requires an injection of self-determination and dynamism.”
Mr Varadkar has given a clear idea of his thinking on visits to the region. “The future in terms of airports is about competition; it is about airports competing with each other and aggressively pursuing business, and that is the key to unlocking the potential that exists at Shannon.”
