*Further detail on the National Aviation Plan is to be unveiled next month.
SHANNON AIRPORT’s role in handing international traffic is set to increase as part of a review of the National Aviation Plan, the Minister for Transport has indicated.
Currently 87 percent of all air traffic into Ireland flies into Dublin Airport with the remaining 13 percent split among the rest of airports in the country including Shannon, Cork and Ireland West (Knock).
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan (GP) said balancing air traffic into the country was a key goal as part of this review. “We need better balanced regional development, that is in the National Planning Framework, it is better balanced particularly Cork, Galway, Waterford, Limerick need to develop.
“It is compact development and it is low carbon development, that’s what we have to deliver, we will benefit from that and a better balanced country where not 90% of the traffic comes through one airport, not 90% of the roll on roll off freight traffic comes through one port, not where we currently have over half the housing in the greater Dublin area we need to help Limerick thrive and Cork, Galway and Waterford as well and also the towns around the country, that is my focus,” he added.
As part of this Shannon Airport has a big role to play, Minister Ryan acknowledged. “As part of the wider development of the Shannon region and particularly Limerick City as a counter-balance to excessive development on the east coast”.
An exact date on the completion of the plan was not provided by the Department of Transport when requested by The Clare Echo.
