KERRY AIRPORT is becoming a pawn in a battle between airlines and Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey, it was claimed yesterday at a special meeting of Kerry County Council.
The meeting was told the airport should look at leasing aircraft to maintain connectivity with Dublin. The meeting was called to discuss the threat to the regional airport in the light of Ryanair’s announcement in recent weeks that it was to cease operating three return subsidised flights to Dublin from the end of this month. Instead, it will operate one return flight a day, on a commercial basis.
The domestic flights, subsidised under the EU- and Government-supported public service obligation (PSO) regional flight scheme, represented just under one-third of passenger numbers through the airport in 2008. Since then, the numbers on the domestic flights have dropped significantly the agm of the airport heard recently. This was due to a combination of unsuitable flight times and the recession. Some domestic flights had only 20 per cent capacity, it heard. The contract was due to end in 2011 and a question mark hung over the whole area of subsidisation of regional flights.
The connections with Dublin were vital for a peripheral county such as Kerry, the meeting was told. Fine Gael councillor Séamus Cosai Fitzgerald said Kerry airport, with support from the business community and Government, should consider leasing its own small aircraft for domestic flights.
He urged a feasibility study be carried out modelled on the Aer Arann service from the Aran Islands.
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary and Aer Arann boss Pádraig Ó Céidigh have scheduled meetings with public representatives in Kerry over the next two days. Concern is growing about the loss of subsidised flights to Dublin, the meeting heard. Independent councillor Brendan Cronin warned against getting involved in a “battle” between airlines and between Ryanair and Mr Dempsey.
There were 150 people working at the airport, making it one of Kerry’s biggest employers, said Mayor of Tralee Arthur Spring.
Further meetings between Mr Ó Céidigh, public representatives and Mr Dempsey are scheduled to take place tomorrow.
Ryanair says it is pulling out due to costs and Mr O’Leary has blamed Mr Dempsey for those increased costs.
Mr Dempsey has accused the airline of getting its sums wrong when it launched a predatory bid undercutting Aer Arann for the three-year PSO contract in 2008.