Fight for Shannon tooth and nail
If this shareholding was not intended to influence the -strategic development of the company in support of the Government’s vision for the country, what purpose was envisaged for it? Vision and innovation have been the hallmark of Shannon, inspired by such early leaders as Brendan O’Regan.
Its duty-free area and the Shannon Free Zone were the first of their kind in the world. Surely some innovative thinking on Aer Lingus’s part could identify four landing slot pairs for the Shannon route out of the 39 available to the airline at Heathrow.
The former Taoiseach, Sean Lemass, considered the establishment of Aer Lingus his proudest achievement, and recognised Shannon airport as“a development which would prevent us from being cut off from the rest of the world.
”Heathrow is the central hub of world travel and the existing air connection is vital to the economy of the mid-west region. Heathrow is not merely a location in London, but is a gateway to the wider world.
In this era of globalisation, international connectivity is more vital than ever and an asset that should be fought for tooth and nail.
Senator Mary White
Seanad Eireann
Dublin 2
