Limerick Chamber welcomes Tanaiste's Shannon airport support

LIMERICK Chamber has welcomed the support voiced by An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar for “positive discrimination” around regional airports like Shannon.

The Enterprise Minister made the commitment during a meeting with Limerick Chamber’s strategic partners group – comprising some of the region’s largest state, semi-state, private indigenous and multi-national employers – at which he addressed them on key matters of regional economic importance.

Chamber chief executive Dee Ryan said: “Crucially, the Tánaiste noted that supports are permissible under EU guidelines for regional airports with passenger numbers of less than three million and are not limited to the period of the Covid-19 economic recovery. We look forward to the details of this support emerging, and believe it is critically important that any funding for route development should take into consideration the wider economic impacts of links to strategic hub airports and not narrowly focused on tourism routes.”

The Chamber also welcomed another boost for the region from its meeting with Mr Varadkar in which he expressed confidence that the Shannon Estuary Task Force make-up will be announced this summer.

Ms Ryan added: “The business community understands the incredible economic potential  that offshore floating wind offers the region.

“A Shannon Foynes Port Company report in 2020 estimated that as many as 30,000 jobs could be created if we can co-ordinate nationally to realise this opportunity.”

Chamber president Donnacha Hurley added: “We were determined that this would be a meaningful meeting so we put all the key regional economic issues to the Tánaiste.  It was valuable to hear his views as much as it was for him to hear ours. We will continue to liaise with government ministers towards the delivery of the changes and investments we believe necessary.”