Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has emphasised the airline’s commitment to Shannon Airport.
After making the call for an approach to be made to Michael O’Leary with the view to Ryanair using Shannon Airport as its European hub, Cllr Pat Daly (FF) contacted the businessman and also furnished him with a copy of The Clare Echo which ran a front-page story on the topic.
In correspondence to the Ennis politician, O’Leary wrote, “We continue to maintain our base at Shannon and are committed to restoring it, as soon as the Government removes the insanely defective hotel quarantine and home quarantine restrictions on UK CTA visitors”.
O’Leary said the Government’s “mismanagement of the Covid recovery” had cut Ireland off from Europe and labelled it as “simply insane” that UK visitors can drive across Northern Ireland without restrictions but have to quarantine for fourteen days if they fly into Shannon, Cork or Dublin.
“It doesn’t help when we have a Minister for Transport who has no plan, and no interest in aviation and tourism in Ireland. He is just not up for the job, but you may rest assured, we will keep trying,” the Mullingar stated as he criticised the absence of transport or tourism policies “from our two Green Ministers”.
He pledged to continue to invest and grow Shannon and paid tribute to their working relationship with the Airport management.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Cllr Daly welcomed the positive sentiments towards Shannon from O’Leary. “It is good to be reassured he is not walking away from Shannon Airport like Aer Lingus did”.
