Shannon Airport has been weak at marketing itself, according to the new Aer Rianta regional manager. It must now pitch itself internationally as a hub to feed major airports such as Heathrow and Amsterdam.
Mr Bob Goldfield, who is three months in the job, said Shannon has to be marketed in competition with other airports, and connections eastwards must be developed. The weak marketing of the airport "has got to change as far as Aer Rianta is concerned".
Mr Goldfield said there was a constant process involved of talking to airlines and the emphasis over the next 18 months would be on short-haul connections, because "the short haul in effect feeds the long haul".
"Point-to-point connections to the UK and Europe are going to be fundamental to our future. It is where people are looking to," he said.
The airport, however, has less money this year to market itself - £2.6 million compared to £3 million last year. "We have sufficient to do what we need to do," he said. Outside the airport, he looks forward to the day when a drive from Shannon to Galway takes 40 minutes. "The single biggest good thing that could happen to us would be to have a dual carriageway from Kerry right up to Galway and beyond."
A recent coup for the management was the decision by Royal Jordan to base its transatlantic flights in Shannon instead of Amsterdam. The airline is operating 20 flights a week in the high season, between Shannon and Amman, and New York, Chicago and Detroit. This will increase passenger numbers at Shannon by 150,000 annually.
He said Shannon could do "more effectively and more efficiently" what Amsterdam does, offering a faster turnaround and competitively priced catering and fuel supplies. The unique US pre-immigration service at the airport was also an advantage.
"Obviously, the money it brings in and the connections it brings are important but it indicates the international nature of the job we are in.
"We have got to look internationally when we talk about the management of Shannon."
The connection with Amman was an indication of the work yet to be done, Mr Goldfield said. Shannon was "weak" at looking east. The Jordanian capital offered possibilities of connections with India, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong, where he worked formerly as an airport manager.
"I think in the past we have looked too much to the west. We need to look east."
He hoped to establish an Amsterdam service which would also open up eastern connections.
Since Royal Jordanian arrived, Virgin Express, part of the Branson-controlled, Brussels-based Virgin Express Holdings, pulled out of Shannon after two years while still benefiting from generous Aer Rianta concessions. It happens the world over, Mr Goldfield said, and start-up airlines rarely break even until the third year of their operation.
"It is a dodgy business. There is an old saying, `if you want to make a small fortune in aviation, start with a big one.' There is a lot of truth in that. It is a cut-throat business and the margins are very, very tight."
Passenger throughput at the Co Clare airport amounted to more than 2.4 million last year, a record number. Mr Goldfield points out that for every million passengers an airport gains, an extra 1,000 jobs are created. He has behind him the terminal building opened last year, a major catering arm employing 250 people, and the prospect of refurbishing a cross runway at an estimated cost of £40 million. He is aiming for a steady airport growth rate of 5 per cent.
"That is the industry average. Five per cent of 2.4 million passengers is a lot of passengers.
"It will mean we will be introducing new services, increasing choice for people and achieving a lot more in terms of supporting airlines that are already here."
He has found parallels between Shannon and Inverness, in Scotland, another airport he previously managed. "Both are important to their particular regions and the regions have a lot in common. Air traffic is vital to the Highlands. The north-west is certainly peripheral to Britain."
He also sees parallels in the psyche of local people who feel Shannon Airport is an ownership issue. He will look at increasing the retail business at the airport by developing new units outside the terminal building. "We have plenty of room," he said.
Hong Kong Airport, which he managed, was also on the periphery before it was returned to China. "At the time it was one of the biggest economic units in Asia. The operation of the airport was essential if the economy of the island was to continue."