*An empty car park at Shannon Airport. Photograph: Joe Buckley
Shannon Group is eleven months without a Chairperson, all the while the aviation industry faces one of its biggest crises of all-time.
Rose Hynes of Bellharbour was the last Chairperson of Shannon Group, the North Clare woman’s tenure was extended after then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (FG) approached former Minister for Transport, Shane Ross (IND) on the matter.
Hours after appointing ex Aurivo CEO Aaron Forde to the role in February, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan (GP) was forced to make a U-turn and cancel the appointment when tweets deemed to be offensive towards Travellers and Varadkar.
Local representatives have criticised the pace at which progress has occurred since Hynes’ departure and the Forde debacle.
Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF) told The Clare Echo on Tuesday that there was no update on the appointment of a Chairperson for Shannon Group.
“I’ve to meet Minister Ryan, this is a matter I hope to raise with him,” the Meelick native stated. Fianna Fáil’s spokesperson on aviation was confident the meeting would be held imminently. “With international travel to resume, this is the obvious time to progress this and have all structures in place”.
