FIANNA Fáil Spokesperson on Tourism and Aviation Cathal Crowe is calling on the Department of Transport to expedite the appointment of a new chair for Shannon Group.
It is now over a year since the position was vacated.
“Today, I joined other Oireachtas colleagues from Clare and Limerick in meeting Minister Hildegarde Naughton who has responsibility for aviation, to press the urgent need to appoint a chair to the board of Shannon Group,” said Deputy Crowe.
“There has been a vacancy at the helm of the board since the departure of Rose Hynes in August 2020 and the appointment of a successor proved controversial with the new appointee being dropped shortly after their name was announced.
“I’ve reiterated to Minister Naughton the importance of having somebody with strong aviation credentials in the position.
“There are many good businessmen and women in the region who understand finance, agri-business and other sectors but what we really need in the Shannon context is somebody who understands aviation and in particular, the important role that Shannon Airport has as a catalyst for a huge amount of economic activity in the Midwest.
“Someone with a strong aviation background will be key to the airport as it strives to make a recovery and attract new routes – in particular, re-establishing routes to North America.
“Minister Naughton has advised my colleagues and I that the Public Appointments Service has a shortlist of candidates which they will interview and I believe this process will take place this week.
“It’s more important than ever that this appointment is the right appointment.
“Many months ago, I asked Minister Eamon Ryan to slow down ever so slightly the appointment process to make sure that the right person would be appointed.
“I never intended that the process would take this long and the ongoing delay is a cause of concern to many people who want Shannon Airport to make a strong rebound.
“I believe that Minister Naughton and Minister Ryan should also look at a reconfiguration of the Shannon board to bring in other voices from the region.
“With local authorities including Clare County Council set to take on the running of Shannon Heritage sites in 2022, the Shannon Group will now be focusing all of its attentions on the running of the airport and also the group’s extension commercial property portfolio.
“I think there is room for other voices in the region to join the board but particularly those who eat, sleep and drink aviation.
“I will also continue to push for Shannon to be reorganised as part of a national network of airports.
“Ireland is a small country and it doesn’t make strategic sense for our airports all to be competing with each other.
“There needs to be a more comprehensive national outlook to make sure that Ireland’s regions, including the Midwest, benefits from both inbound and outbound traffic.”
