This article is from page 6 of the 2012-03-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
MAKING the new Shannon Airport debt free is key to its future prosperity and growth, business interests in the region will tell Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar, this Friday when he will be the keynote speaker at a Chamber of Commerce lunch in the Oakwood Arms Hotel.
The meeting comes just as Minister Varadkar prepares to act on the Booz & Company consultants report, which put forward a number of proposal with which to create a new model for Clare’s international airport.
Now, business interests in Shannon have been urged to have their say with Minister Varadkar as D-Day for the airport fast approaches, with Chamber of Commerce president, Damian Gleeson, saying “opinions only turn into action when they are heard, and by the decision makers”.
“This is possibly the last opportunity for engagement on a very pertinent issue for the mid-west region before the final decision is made.
“Shannon Airport is a vital piece of infrastructure which supports the economic development of the midwest. Every viable option to sustaining its future must be assessed for its ability to generate meaningful economic activity for the region. As we have stated in the past, any new structure should not be overburdened with debt but supported by solid business and financial plans,” continues Mr Gleeson.
In a presentation to the Minister earlier this year, Shannon Chamber made the case that Shannon Airport should be separated from its current structure but remain under some other form of State protection / ownership to ensure its survival as a key piece of national infrastructure, for the mid-west in particular.
“We emphasised that the airport should be run with a commercially driven ethos – which in conjunction with no debt, adequate working capital and an improvement of its cost structure would eventually allow it to be self-sustaining,” says Mr Gleeson.
“Of the two options now recommended by Booz & Company, the scenario whereby Shannon moves to a local concession model giving a role to the local authorities in Clare and Limerick, to local commercial interests and to Shannon Development in a holding company, offers the most potential for Shannon’s future development. It places decision making for the airport’s future at a local level.
“As long as this proposed autonomous structure comes without debt, Shannon could look forward to a new future, whereby every avenue for its development could be examined for its innovativeness and its ability to add value, traffic and revenue to Shannon. Harnessing the support of all stakeholders in the mid-west would lead to energised thinking and a new impetus for taking the airport in a new direction.
“We hope that the Minister, in addressing attendees on Friday, will elaborate on the findings of the Booz & Company report and be forthright is his views on how he feels a very strategic piece of infrastructure, such as Shannon Airport, can be re-energised to make its rightful contribution to the national economy,” adds Mr Gleeson.