Aer Lingus's decision to scrap direct Shannon/Heathrow flights cannot be changed by the Government and efforts must now concentrate on finding a replacement, the Taoiseach said last night.
Refusing to back calls led by Ryanair for an extraordinary general meeting of company shareholders, Bertie Ahern said the decision was disappointing.
"But now is the time to put all of our focus into getting a new operator into Shannon," said Mr Ahern, insisting that other airlines are displaying real interest.
However, British Airways chairman Willie Walsh said he had not yet received any formal proposal from Shannon airport's management, even though he spoke with the airport's chairman Pat Shanahan 10 days ago.
A Shannon Airport Authority spokesman said the contacts with BA were in their "very early days" and that it was too early to predict an outcome. Talks were commercially sensitive and would take time, he said.
Speaking in Dublin last night, the Taoiseach insisted the Government had not been given any advance notice by Aer Lingus that it intended to end the Shannon/Heathrow route and transfer operations to Belfast.
"The company's view was that we shouldn't know. They made a commercial decision. They are not going to change that. We now have to move on in a constructive and positive way to develop the airport and region," he told reporters.
"We all said that we wished that they hadn't made that decision, but that is what they did. They are legally entitled to do it. The issue now is to move on and get another operator for Shannon. The management of Aer Lingus are not going to change this, so there is no point in you asking me or the Minister. They have made that decision. That decision is over.
"While we believe the decision was contrary to our aviation policy and our regional strategy, we now have to try through our cross-departmental agencies to work to find a good resolution.
"We are where we are. We are not going to do anything to affect or undermine that commercial decision. It is legally within their entitlement. We now have to try to get another operator in. Connectivity to Shannon is vital," he said.
He said he was confident that another airline could be found. "We have to work very hard on that. It is a viable, profitable and can be an even more profitable route.
"I think certain operators will see that. Obviously, you would like to get an operator in different circumstances where you haven't shown your hand, but that's as it is," he went on.
Asked why the State should hold on to its 25 per cent stake in Aer Lingus if its views are going to be ignored by the company, Mr Ahern said that the "airline cannot be taken over without our consent and secondly the memorandums of association cannot be altered which is crucial from many respects, including the slots in Heathrow".
