Shannon Airport needed strong politicians to lobby for its future viability, the chief financial officer of Ryanair, Mr Michael Cawley, said yesterday after the airline launched a "seat sale" from Dublin, Cork, Kerry and Knock to Britain and the Continent. Mr Cawley said that Shannon, an Aer Rianta airport, was having decisions made on its behalf at the Dublin head office, "which have prejudiced the whole situation". With the threatened loss of its transatlantic connections as a condition of Aer Lingus achieving a strategic alliance agreement with a major airline, Shannon is seeking to develop a European corridor to sustain its future.
It is currently lobbying against Dublin and Cork for Virgin Express, a Brussels-based European carrier, to locate there.
Mr Paul Skellon, director of corporate affairs at Virgin Express, said this week that a final decision would not be made for at least another week. Mr Cawley said: "Whoever is making the decisions about it will not give us the cost deal that will enable us to operate lower fares . . . They need a couple of strong politicians pulling on that." Mr Cawley said the latest Ryanair offer was, together with Thursday's announcement of a range of special fares from British airports to European destinations, the biggest seat sale ever in the European airline industry.
There were one million low-cost seats from Dublin, Cork, Kerry and Knock to 10 British destinations and from Dublin to Brussels and Paris. Tickets for the Irish package which, including Government tax, cost from £24.99, are on offer until September 15th. The offer allows travel between September 29th and December.
Mr Cawley added that Cork, Kerry and Knock airports were performing well for the airline and all had an increased summer daily schedule. Aer Lingus yesterday disputed claims that Ryanair outperforms it for punctuality, and CityJet, which operates from Dublin to Britain, announced an increase in its number of weekly flights.
CitJet said it was introducing a new £59 return fare, travelling from Dublin to East Midlands on Friday or Saturdays and returning from East Midlands on Saturdays or Sundays.
Ryanair offers special deals between September 29th and December 16th, with tickets on sale from now until September 15th.
Tickets start at £19.99 (plus £5 departure tax) from Dublin to Brussels and from Dublin, Cork, Kerry and Knock to 10 British destinations: London (Luton and Stansted), Glasgow (Prestwick), Teeside, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool, and Cardiff. The flights from Kerry and Knock to Stansted and from Dublin to Gatwick are £29.99 plus tax. On the Dublin-Paris route oneway tickets cost £29.99 (plus £5 tax).