Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan (GP) is to visit Shannon Airport next month.

Speaking in the Seanad on Thursday last, Senator Roisin Garvey (GP) confirmed that the leader of the Green Party would be travelling to Shannon Airport in the coming weeks to get a clearer picture of the prevalent issues there.

She believed that a policy aimed at cutting carbon emissions should be put in place whereby all transatlantic flights land in Shannon Airport as opposed to Dublin Airport. “It is really important that we look at balanced regional development and instead of looking at increasing flights, we need to look at the flights coming into the airports like Dublin and start putting them into places like Shannon. If you go to Shannon Airport, it is like a ghost town at the moment.

“We are very dependent in the West on transatlantic flights from America and the fact is that if you land a flight from America into Shannon as opposed to Dublin you straight away reduce carbon emissions by three percent. So this is something positive with regard to tourism, sustainable transport and just transition,” the Inagh native outlined.

Balanced regional development must also be factored into tourism in the country, Senator Garvey stated as she called for the introduction of further supports. “At the moment we are looking at staycations and laethanta saoire and the importance of them yet Shannon Group have decided to close the heritage sites at the end of August and some they haven’t opened at all”.

Shannon Airport will be visited “in the next few weeks” by Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, she confirmed. Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan (GP) will accompany Senator Garvey on a visit of Shannon Heritage owned attractions in the Mid-West. “That is a good start considering it took us three years to get the last Minister for Transport down to the Airport,” she quipped.

A spokesperson for the Department of Transport confirmed that the trip would proceed. “The Minister looks forward to visiting Shannon Airport, however a specific date for the visit has yet to be confirmed,” a representative told The Clare Echo.