Considine to take up director role at Shannon airport

THE DUBLIN Airport Authority (DAA) has confirmed that Shannon airport’s head of finance and corporate affairs Mary Considine is to assume the role of airport director next month.

The DAA yesterday confirmed the appointment after announcing that outgoing Shannon airport director Martin Moroney has retired from the DAA after 31 years of service with the group.

Mr Moroney served as director since 2002, and his successor, Ms Considine, Lissycasey, Co Clare, joined the company in 1990.

Ms Considine has worked in financial and marketing roles within the airport during the past two decades, and qualified as a certified public accountant in 1992.

DAA chief executive Declan Collier said: “As director of Shannon airport, Martin Moroney has been a key member of the DAA executive team over the past eight years.

“On behalf of DAA chairman David Dilger and the board, I wish to thank him for the enormous contribution that he has made to this company over the past three decades and to wish him the very best on his retirement.”

Mr Collier also congratulated Ms Considine. “Mary brings excellent experience and capability to this role. She is a wonderful addition to the overall DAA management team and I wish her every success in the future.”

Shannon Airport Authority chairman Brian O’Connell also paid tribute to Mr Moroney and welcomed Ms Considine to her new role.

“Martin has been a great asset to Shannon airport and, while I am sad to see him go, I’m delighted to welcome Mary into her new role.”

Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley said: “It is sad to see Martin depart. He has been an integral part of Shannon and has been a strong advocate of the development of the airport. He leaves a very good legacy behind him and great credit is due to him for his achievements.”

Mr Moroney started his career with Aer Rianta International and rose to become its business development manager before transferring in 1996 to the then Aer Rianta as Shannon airport general manager of traffic marketing.

Ms Considine assumes the role at a time of plummeting passenger numbers at Shannon with the expiry earlier this year of the five-year Ryanair deal. The airport is projecting a drop in passenger numbers this year from 2.8 million to 1.8 million.

The Shannon Airport Authority unveiled its five-year strategy on Wednesday, when Mr O’Connell confirmed that the airport would be seeking to increase passenger numbers to 2.5 million by 2015.