Shannon Group has welcomed the announcement in Budget 2020 of increased connectivity funds for Tourism Ireland to assist airlines with route development at regional airports.
Commenting on the announcement Mary Considine, Acting CEO, Shannon Group said: “We welcome the Government’s recognition of the importance of air connectivity into regions and the critical role this plays in driving economic growth. The increase in route development funds for Tourism Ireland is welcome and something Shannon Group has strongly advocated for some time. We are grateful to our regional stakeholders for their support in lobbying on this issue. The recent Copenhagen Economics report commissioned by Limerick Chamber and supported by Shannon, Ennis and Galway Chambers also provided strong endorsement for a route development fund along with other measures which will be needed to develop connectivity for the region, particularly European hub connectivity.
“We continually work with our airlines partners to explore all opportunities to expand the range of air services at Shannon and these additional funds will make airports in the regions, including Shannon, a more attractive proposition for airlines.
“We are operating in a very competitive international aviation environment, it will be important that all stakeholders continue to work together to ensure that we can deliver increased connectivity. “As the fund has just been announced, it remains to be seen how it will work and we will now be engaging with Tourism Ireland to understand how the funds can be accessed.”