Limerick councillors request meeting with airline bosses to discuss Shannon Airport

MANAGEMENT of Ireland's two major airlines are to be invited to address Limerick councillors to discuss future air destinations from Shannon - and how local councils can help.

Labour councillor Joe Leddin saw a motion passed at a meeting of the local authority calling on them to issue an invite to the chief executives of both Ryanair and Aer Lingus to the next meeting.

He feels the intervention of the region's local authorities could tip the balance between one of the airlines basing a plane in one of Ireland's other regional airports or locating in Shannon.

The motion was passed before this week's announcement by Ryanair that it is to locate an additional plane at Shannon Airport from next summer.

Ryanair adds new routes from Shannon Airport

"Politicians are often accused of being reactive rather than proactive. The airline industry was in carnage for the two years during Covid-19, but it has rebounded as we've seen. Yet I'm concerned some of the routes from Shannon have not come back, whether they were to sun destinations or other destinations, they went elsewhere in Europe or to the USA. Rather than waiting until the spring announcement, I'd like to see if we can get in management from the two airlines to talk to us about their plans for Shannon, and also what we can do as a region," he said.

Cllr Leddin met with Shannon Airport chief executive Mary Considine to ask her what needs to be done to secure more services from Shannon.

"She said airlines place the planes where they can get their maximum load factor. I understand that. We need to ensure as a region we are putting our best foot forward in terms of attracting airlines out of Shannon," he concluded.