Last call for Flight EI382
Government still blamed for the loss of Heathrow route
More photos:
Related Articles
Despite a massive campaign by various lobby groups, politicians, industrialists and members of the tourism industry, the day that many feared came to pass, with the last direct Shannon flights to and from the world's busiest airport.
For the last 50 years, air passengers could fly from Shannon direct to Heathrow airport. Today, that option is no longer available.
Saga
Those checking in at the departures lounge for the EI382 flight at 5.25pm were resentful at the overall handling of the lengthy saga.
Among those onboard was general manager in Limerick's Clarion Hotel, Sean Lally.
Mr Lally said people in the Mid-West genuinely thought there would have been a resolution to the whole affair.
"We were left down by politicians here when their constituents needed them most. The way it was handled was a comedy of errors, with people only learning of what the latest scenario was from various leaks," Mr Lally said. "It is a sad day but now we must draw a line under this and move on.
"What we need now from government is an independent and debt-free Shannon Airport, which can manage its own affairs. We also need a long-term commitment from Aer Lingus for their transatlantic operation from here," he said.
The Atlantic Connectivity Alliance (ACA), which was set up in direct response to the ending of the Shannon-Heathrow link, expressed deep disappointment over the ending of the service, but pledged to give its full support to making the City Jet Paris route, which begins next month, a success.
ACA spokesman, Michael Vaughan, said the Government and the Department of Transport were both guilty of ambivalence and incompetence in the handling of the issue and this, ultimately, led to its downfall.
Mr Vaughan said the Government had failed to honour commitments given to protect the Heathrow service and also demanded answers on the pledge made over two years ago to deliver an economic and tourism development plan to combat Open Skies.
Spirit
And he claimed that were it not for the efforts of Shannon Airport, City Jet and ACA members, in putting together a mid-season deal on a Paris Charles de Gaulle service, one-stop connectivity with key international markets would have almost been entirely lost.
"Thankfully, the 'can-do' spirit in this region has seen Shannon Airport, with the support of the ACA, able to get City Jet on board for a Paris Charles de Gaulle route . . . but we need to make sure now that we are never left to rely on pledges made by Government again," Mr Vaughan said.
"It still beggars belief why a profitable route like this should be abandoned and this is a question which has not been answered to our satisfaction."
"The Government commitment also to making funds available to combat the Open Skies threat has not been delivered after months of broken promises. Even at this late hour, I would call on the Government to publish the plan and deliver the monies necessary for marketing the region for the years ahead," Mr Vaughan said.
Never one to miss an opportunity to criticise his competitors and turn favour in his direction, Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary gave all boarding the final Heathrow flight a free ticket to fly with Ryanair from Shannon to London.
Meanwhile, one man living in the Scottish Outer Hebrides completed a gruelling 2,500 mile, 72-hour round-trip to Shannon to register his protest on the final flight from Heathrow to Shannon.
Last
Sean O'Drisceoil, from Kilkenny, was so outraged at the closure of the Shannon route that he left the remote Isle of Lewis at midday on Saturday, completing a two-hour ferry trip and then driving to Glasgow.
He flew from Glasgow to Heathrow, before boarding flight EI383, the last to arrive in Shannon from Heathrow after 9pm last night.
