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Thousands call for Shannon reversal
 THOUSANDS
of people have given their backing to the campaign to save the air link
between London and Shannon Airport.
More than 12,000 people have signed on-line petitions aimed at forcing
Aer Lingus to reverse its decision to axe its services between Heathrow
and Shannon.
The petitions were launched by The Irish Post and the Retain
The Shannon-Heathrow Service campaign group and have attracted names from
across the world.
It comes amid mounting anger at Aer Lingus’s decision to end the
service and controversy over the Irish Government’s refusal to use
its 25 per cent stake in the airline to try to block the move.
Some 360,000 people a year use the London Heathrow-Shannon link but Aer
Lingus wants to switch the flights to serve Belfast instead.
Business leaders, politicians and tourism chiefs in the Shannon region
have all condemned the move.
And it has also caused widespread anger on this side of the Irish Sea.
Aer Lingus’s decision may also face a challenge from one of its
major shareholders — Ryanair.
The low-cost airline holds a 30 per cent stake in Aer Lingus and has called
for an extraordinary general meeting to be held to debate the issue.
If that were to go ahead the Irish Government would face the choice of
either using its 25 per cent holding to back management or voting against
the axing of the Shannon service.
Political commentators believe the Irish Government would be desperate
to avoid such a scenario.
One said: “If the government uses its stake to back the Aer Lingus
management then it is going to face a massive backlash in the Shannon
region.
“Ryanair’s move has placed them in a real dilemma and it’s
something they would want to avoid at all costs. It’s very much
a no-win situation for them.”
Consultants commissioned by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern are still drawing up
a report into the potential financial and social impact on the Shannon
region of the Aer Lingus withdrawal.
It is believed the initial findings could be released as early as this
week.
n To add your name to the Shannon petitions log-on to either www.irishpost.co.uk
or |
