Mulcahy confident Stobart Air replacement will be found

SHANNON, Ireland - Jan. 5, 2015 - PRLog -- Senator Tony Mulcahy says he is confident management at Shannon Airport will secure a replacement carrier to service routes previously operated by Stobart Air, which today closed its operations at the Clare airport.

The franchise flying partner to Aer Lingus announced its decision following a review of its services at Shannon which included 20 weekly flights to Birmingham, Bristol and Edinburgh.

"In my opinion, the main reason we have lost these services is not because of falling passenger numbers or of poor take-up, but instead due to the PSO Levy being provided at other Irish Airports such as Kerry and Donegal," stated Senator Mulcahy.

"This incentivises airlines to locate or relocate their operations and therefore, puts Shannon at a distinct disadvantage in terms of attracting new operators into the facility. This is unlikely to change so commercial airlines must now look upon the existing strong passenger growth potential that exists at Shannon rather than looking at being incentivised to invest in the facility."

"I have every faith in the ability of Shannon Airport management to source a new operator for these routes, which had recorded several consecutive months of increasing passenger figures during late 2014," added Senator Mulcahy.