Ryanair threatens to close its base at Shannon Airport

BUDGET airline Ryanair has told its staff in Shannon it plans to close its base here in winter in what's been described as an "alarming development".

This is unless government relaxes its quarantine restrictions on passengers flying into this country.

Some 130 people work for the no-frills carrier across Shannon and Cork airports, while staff employed by sub-supply firms to Ryanair would also be impacted. In the event of a base closure, these workers would be placed on unpaid leave, the firm’s chief executive Eddie Wilson has said.

He added the decision comes on what he believes is the government’s “mismanagement” of the Green List for travel.

Only a small number of European countries are on this list, which allows passengers to get back to life as normal when they return to Ireland, without the need for a two-week quarantine.

However, the official advice remains against all international travel.

In an internal letter to staff, Mr Wilson indicated Ryanair might change tack if the government revised its quarantine restrictions.

The green list requirement is up for review on September 14, but ultimately what Ryanair want is for the 14-day rule when coming from non-green list countries axed so people could return to their daily lives upon immediate arrival in Ireland.

If government does not revise the restrictions, it could put the firm’s base at Shannon under threat for next summer.

Flights would still operate in and out of Limerick’s local airport – however, these would be significantly less than what they are at present.

Clare Fianna Fail TD Cathal Crowe says if Ryanair did reduce its services, it would be a huge concern.

"This is a massive blow for Shannon and hugely concerning for workers who have been told they may need to be put on unpaid leave from the end of October," he said, "I’ve been in regular contact with the Taoiseach on this matter. It’s important that the government now engages fully with Ryanair, Aer Lingus and other airlines that operate out of Shannon to ensure that in spite of current restrictions, we secure long-term commitments from them that straddle the autumn and winter months and guarantee a service going forward into 2021 and beyond."

He called for rapid Covid-19 testing in the airport at both departure and arrival to give customers full confidence to return to the skies.

With Aer Lingus planes not returning to the skies over Shannon during lockdown, Ryanair remains one of the only remaining airlines operating from the base.

It has 13 routes covering Austria, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain as well as the British cities of London and Manchester.