This article is from page 6 of the 2011-09-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
THE development of a cargo-hub operation in Shannon with the potential to provide employment for up to 5,000 people is dependent on the opening up a cargo pre-clearance facility at Clare’s international airport.
Local Fine Gael TD, Pat Breen, has admitted as much this week followed exploratory lobbying for a official round of bilateral negotiations between the Irish and US governments to extending the existing passenger pre-clearance facilities at Shannon to freight traffic.
“A huge selling point for us in promoting and encouraging tenants to set up their Cargo operations will be the availability of US Cargo pre clearance at the Airport,” he told The Clare People from Washington, where he opened negotiations in his capacity as Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs & Trade.
“I met with a number of key Congressmen to discuss this possibility. They included the Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Congressman Peter King, Congressman Chris Smith, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee as well as Congressman Richie Neal, former Chair of Friends of Ireland and Congressman Dan Burton, Chair of the Europe Subcommittee of the House Foreign Relations Committee.
“They were all very supportive of the proposal to extend the Pre Clearance facility at Shannon to include freight and certainly the signing of the Heads of an Agreement has strengthened our case in pursuing this,” he added.
In May, The Clare People revealed that DAA backing for the cargo facility in Shannon to the tune of € 6m would only bring a longterm jobs dividend if it came on stream with a pre-clearance facilities.
“Lynx will only be a major success if the Irish and US government can reach a deal on the pre-clearance of cargo at Shannon,” an Shannon Airport Authority insider told The Clare People .
“This has been done for passengers and for Lynx project to realise it’s full potential it will have to be done for cargo traffic as well.”
This claim has been backed up by local Fianna Fáil TD and the party’s transport spokesperson, Timmy Dooley, who has challenged the Government to play its part in transforming Shannon into a new world-wide cargo hub creating thousands of long-term jobs.
“I am delighted after a prolonged period of time that the DAA are prepared to invest appropriate funding in Shannon to enable Lynx to build a facility there,” said Deputy Dooley.
“It’s a vote of confidence in the airport – the short-term potential is limited, there is long-term potential if the Irish government can secure a deal with the US administration for the pre-clearance of cargo at Shannon,” he added.
The DAA investment in the Shannon project will amount to infrastructural works on the ground – making the site identified accessible by road, providing connection to the airport taxi-ways and fencing – before Lynx would step in and invest € 2m over in building their temperature control facility.
The project was first heralded in 2009 when Lynx and the Shannon Airport Authority signed up to a memorandum of understanding to develop an international logistics hub in the Shannon Free Zone.
In 2009, the Mid-West Task Force called on the Government and DAA to back the Lynx project to, while Shannon Development chief executive and task force member, Dr Vincent Cunnane warning that “the airport will not survive on passengers alone and needs a cargo hub”.