Shannon Stopover

Dublinflyer

This is beyond bizarre in my opinion. Accroding to the times this morning this TD seems to think the best way to get more pax into Shannon Airport is to go abck to the 1980's.

Cathal Crowe, Fianna Fáil TD for Clare, recently called for legislation demanding that flights stop at Shannon, in line with a “stopover” rule that Government axed in 2008, according to trade publication Travelextra.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/04/22/call-to-reinstate-shannon-airport-stopover-bizarre-warns-daa-chief/

Allinall

It's a non story.

He was completely misreported.

Was just on Newstalk and he's calling for more incentives for airlines to use regional airports to

a) facilitate more people in rural Ireland and

b) take the pressure off Dublin Airport, with all the fuss around the passenger cap.

Not a mention of the Shannon stopover.

Papers just producing clickbait headlines.

Dublinflyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123378836#Comment_123378836

Really, what show was he on as I'd like to check that out. The article is more about Jackob's response than anything else.

elperello

It seems that Eoghan Corry is the journalist he was referring to.

davetherave

There's two articles at play here, but I can't see where the "forced stopover" is coming from.

https://www.travelextra.ie/airlines-should-be-compelled-to-land-at-shannon-oireachtas-group/ - The article based around his speech in the Dail.

https://www.travelextra.ie/bizarre-to-suggest-we-should-go-back-to-the-1980s-kenny-jacobs/ - Kenny Jacobs response to that article

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2025-02-12/speech/412/

In the programme for Government, there are some very positive things relating to aviation. I am delighted to see Shannon Airport has been selected as a hub for testing new aviation technology. This was an issue I raised from the backbenches of Government over the past few years. I have already travelled to a number of airports around Europe, including to Rotterdam with then Deputy Joe Carey, to see what they are doing. I can see many new roles for Shannon in testing new technology. It is not all about jet engines and new fuels; so much more can be done with aviation, including vertical take-off and landing, new small aircraft, drones and hydrogen-powered and even electric aircraft. It is great to see Ireland embracing that new technology and that Shannon in my home constituency will be the test bed for all of that.

The regional airports programme needs to be expanded so the likes of Shannon Airport, and indeed Cork and Knock airports, are not left behind. There is a suggestion the cap on Dublin Airport could be lifted. I believe that cap does not have to be lifted if slots are better managed. Airports like Heathrow have a finite number of slots and they are managed effectively to ensure airlines can land and take off without disrupting the overall operation of the airport. Slots could be managed in Dublin and anything exceeding the slots of a particular airline could be allocated to the regions to ensure our other airports and, ipso facto, other regions can grow strongly.

The Regional Airports Programme provides funding for airports with scheduled passenger services, and less than one million passengers per year. Kerry/Knock/Donegal.

The second bit in bold is what I think is being picked up on.

So lets just pick Air Canada. they've got 840 slots for Summer 25. Roughly a Landing/Takeoff a day for Toronto, and then during peak they add a Landing/Takeoff 3 days a week to Montreal and Landing/Takeoff to Vancover four days a week. If ACL only give them 760 (forgive the rough maths). Then they might drop Vancouver back to three days a week for May-Oct. They are hardly going to start going from Cork or Shannon are they?

Or even BA who I think have lost 14 slots on the DUB-LHR route this summer compared to last summer, so a daily flight. You can't force them to start a daily flight from Cork to Heathrow, even if they are using EI as the handling.

elperello

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/04/22/td-looking-to-encourage-airlines-to-consider-regional-airports/

https://www.clare.fm/news/clare-td-refutes-reports-regarding-calls-for-shannon-stopover-reinstatement/

When is a stopover not a stopover ?

The clarification seems to show that it was a kind of 21st century version of stopover.

The idea being to try to get airlines to go where they don't want to in order to keep going where they do want to.

It won't fly.

I expect Cathal Crowe will have words with Eoghan Corry next time they meet.