Shannon chief says Heathrow link must be preserved

Shannon Group chief executive Neil Pakey says "everything must be done" to ensure that the Aer Lingus service from the mid western airport to London Heathrow is not axed if the airline is taken over.

Almost 1.64 million people travelled through Shannon Airport last year, 17 per cent more than in 2013, when 1.4 million passengers used the hub, figures just released show.

Commenting on the results, Mr Pakey said that Shannon Group is monitoring efforts by International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) to acquire Aer Lingus and the implications that might have for the airline's Heathrow services.

He pointed out that Shannon is the only airport on the western seaboard with flights to Heathrow and that these give businesses in the region access to key markets across the world.

“The consequences for the region of the withdrawal of Heathrow services in 2007 showed how essential they are and everything needs to be done to make sure history is not allowed to repeat itself,” Mr Pakey warned.

He was referring to the fallout from Aer Lingus's decision in 2007 to axe its Shannon-Heathrow services, moving them instead to Belfast International Airport.

The move sparked outcry from politicians and business people and led to demonstrations attended by around 4,000 people. Aer Lingus reinstated the service in 2009, but denied at the time that it was a climbdown.

Shannon’s passenger numbers grew on the back of 10 new destinations and the expansion of 16 existing routes.

Europe was the best performer, nine new services increased numbers by 70 per cent to 427,887 from 251,813.

Its five US services delivered 10 per cent growth, adding to the 22 per cent increase in traffic it saw in the second half of 2013. Its biggest overall market, Britain, was up 5 per cent.

“Our target was for double-digit growth and getting that up to 17 per cent was very satisfying,” Mr Pakey said. “Having more people from our catchment choosing to fly from here has been the most pleasing aspect of all.”

Shannon Group chairwoman, Rose Hynes, said it was pleased to have achieved significant growth in 2014.

“There are a number of factors that made this possible, not least Shannon’s ability to attract new services, the airlines’ confidence in Shannon, the Government facilitating this by removing the air travel tax and the global and local economic recovery starting to take hold,” she said.