Clare Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley has expressed his frustration at a decision by Aer Lingus to drop one of the three daily flights between Shannon and Heathrow.
Aer Lingus has pulled a daily flight from Shannon to Heathrow as a result of the passenger cap at Heathrow Airport.
According to the Irish Examiner, Aer Lingus has decided to drop one of its daily flights between Shannon and Heathrow each day this week in order to meet the London airport’s cap on passenger numbers.
Over the weekend, the airline cut flights to Dublin and to Cork on separate days to meet what it has called “the mandated flight cancellations”.
The airline has now decided that the flight to be dropped this week will be the 7.20pm service from Heathrow to Shannon as well as the return leg at 9.25pm, the last daily service.
Airlines have been instructed to cut flights from Heathrow in order to bring the number of outgoing passengers moving through the airport down to 100,000 a day between now and September 11th. According to airlines, the London hub has threatened legal action if voluntary flight cuts are not forthcoming.
Senator Timmy Dooley said this evening: “Shannon Airport has again lost out as aviation decision makers continue their obsession with Dublin Airport. It beggars belief why Aer Lingus wouldn’t remove these flights just from Dublin Airport to Heathrow as we know well Dublin could do with less passengers passing through.
“The aviation sector in Ireland needs urgent reform. Shannon and other regional airports must be used more to ensure balanced regional development and to take pressure of Dublin Airport,” he said.
Flights on the evening inbound and outbound services are available to book on the airline’s website from next Monday.