A meeting between Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey and an alliance of business and tourism interests in the Shannon area was described as "very positive" by both parties yesterday.
The Atlantic Connectivity Alliance (ACA) met the Minister to highlight its anger at the Aer Lingus decision to end its Shannon-Heathrow service and begin a new Belfast-Heathrow service instead. ACA chairman John Brassil said the delegation had asked Mr Dempsey to initiate a mechanism that would trigger an extraordinary general meeting (egm) of Aer Lingus to overturn the company's decision.
When the privatisation of Aer Lingus was being prepared last year, the Government built in arrangements to safeguard the Heathrow slots. This meant that any disposal of the slots could be stopped by 30.4 per cent of votes cast at an egm. The Government holds 25.4 per cent of Aer Lingus shares.
The alliance also told the Minister that senior EU officials had made it clear that there was no reason why the Government could not intervene.
"There was a frank exchange of views with the Minister, but overall the meeting was positive," Mr Brassil said. "We are satisfied that the Minister now has a full appreciation of the serious impact that this move by Aer Lingus will have on the entire west of Ireland."
He said Mr Dempsey was " conciliatory in his approach" and had invited the alliance to meet the interdepartmental committee set up to examine the issue. "He also issued an invitation to meet with him again in the near future to further explore a solution," Mr Brassil added.
He said the group was determined to maintain a "vigorous campaign" to save the Shannon-Heathrow service.
A spokesman for the Minister said the meeting had been "very good and very positive". "The Minister said he would reflect carefully on the issues raised and he will reflect these views back to Cabinet when it meets next Wednesday," he said.
ACA member and solicitor Michael Houlihan warned that there could be legal repercussions over the disposal of the Heathrow slots. He said the ownership, value and trading of slots was "a very grey matter" and could become a serious issue if the alliance chose to pursue it. "If we have to go down this road, we will," he said.
He was at a meeting with the EU competition commissioner's representatives last week and said there was "a certain amount of bewilderment" in Brussels that the Government was not acting to protect the Heathrow link.
Siptu western regional secretary Joe Cunningham said the ACA campaign would not stop if another airline offered a Shannon-Heathrow service. "We are not looking for somebody that will come in with political pressure being applied, for a short period of time, and then disappear again in a year's time."
