There’s pressure on the government to take action and avoid another major blow to Shannon Airport.
It’s after Ryanair has threatened to temporarily close its bases at Shannon and Cork Airports from next month.
It’s blaming Ireland’s “mismanagement” of travel restrictions, as Clare FM’s Rebecca O’Sullivan reports.
Ryanair staff have been informed that the airline will close its bases at Shannon and Cork, unless the Government relaxes restrictions on passengers travelling into Ireland.
The move would affect 130 staff across both airports, who would be put on unpaid leave for six months.
In a letter sent to staff yesterday, the airline’s CEO said the 19 crisis continues to affect passenger loads and that the challenges are worsened by what he described as the Government’s mismanagement of the Green List for international travel travel.
Eddie Wilson said that if quarantine restrictions from EU states aren’t lifted by the end of September, the airline will have no choice but to close both bases temporarily for the winter season.
He went on to say that the airline will do its best to re-open them next March, if the travel restrictions to EU states are lifted in time for traffic to recover.
Ryanair will continue to operate flights into Shannon from other bases but the letter to staff says the frequency of these flights will be “significantly reduced” during the winter season.
Clare’s Sinn Féin TD, Violet Anne Wynne has described the move as another “hammer blow for Shannon Airport.”
The Government is due to review the green list of ten countries next Monday, and Limerick Fianna Fáil Minister of State, Niall Collins says he expects more countries will be added.
