Aer Lingus ‘Will Drop Shannon As U.S. Hub’

AER Lingus’ transatlantic service from Shannon airport will be gone within a year, Ryanair chief executive officer Michael O’Leary has claimed.

Speaking in Limerick yesterday, Mr O’Leary said the airline’s use of Shannon as a hub will soon come to an end.

‘Aer Lingus Transatlantic will be gone from Shannon next September,’ he claimed.

‘Transferring Heathrow to Belfast is a precursor for Aer Lingus transferring its transatlantic flights up there as well. They come down and say they will be here until September of next year but why they won’t guarantee they’ll be here for five years is because you won’t get that guarantee,’ he added.

The director of Shannon Aiport Authority, Martin Moroney, confirmed yesterday that Aer Lingus had not pledged to provide its transatlantic service beyond October 2008. However, he said he was ‘confident’ that the airline would make a long-term commitment to Shannon.

‘Why would an airline not continue to serve Shannon with a major traffic demand in the States for the west of Ireland, a strong economy in the west of Ireland with Irish people willing to spend money in the States,’ he said.

‘The transatlantic flights are more lucrative to the region and we expect Aer Lingus to see the commerciality of Shannon as a transatlantic destination.’ Mr Moroney also confirmed yesterday that Shannon airport had received commitments from Delta, Continental and U.S. Airways beyond Open Skies, which comes into effect next April.

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