Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 28 Nov 1995

Vol. 458 No. 8

Written Answers. - Shannon Marketing Recommendations.

Tony Killeen

Question:

184 Mr. Killeen asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications his views on the recommendations of the Shannon Airport Task Force regarding marketing of the airport; and the basis for his announcement of 24 October 1995. [17893/95]

Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications (Mr. Lowry)

The central recommendation made by the Shannon Airport Traffic Development Task Force in 1993 was that a new unit should be established with responsibility for marketing the airport.

The arrangements put in place, a combination of two agencies, was not effective — dividing responsibility for marketing an airport between two agencies simply does not work.

In view of this the Government decided recently that full responsibility for promoting and marketing of Shannon Airport should be assigned to Aer Rianta. Aer Rianta is already managing this airport as well as Dublin and Cork Airports and the company will now be able to devise integrated strategies for marketing all three airports.