Aer Rianta at Shannon has come in for criticism following news over the weekend that an airline that it had secured to begin routes from the airport next month has ceased trading. Pat Flynn reports.
Less than a month after the UK airline Duo Airways made the announcement at a packed press conference at Shannon, the company has been placed in administration, leaving hundreds of British passengers stranded on the continent.
It is also thought that although the airline had not started services at Shannon, Irish passengers had make bookings in advance of the start-up date next month.
Fine Gael's spokesman on Shannon Airport, Mr Pat Breen TD, said it was clear that "a detailed background check was not carried out into the affairs of the airline.
"It must have been known that the company had financial problems."
Town council member Ms Patricia McCarthy said the news was "a sad indictment of the marketing strategy being employed at Shannon".
She added that the airport "obviously didn't do their market research properly on this one".
Aer Rianta's airport director at Shannon, Mr Martin Moroney, said: "We are very disappointed with the news given the efforts made in bringing Duo to Shannon over the last few months."