Fine Gael TD for Limerick, Patrick O’Donovan has welcomed the announcement by Ryanair to provide eight new routes from Shannon Airport which will carry up to 300,000 passengers a year and said that the announcement comes as a direct result of the decision of the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan to scrap the travel tax.
“In his budget speech Michael Noonan provided the incentive for airlines to bring more passengers into Ireland and this decision together with the fact that the Government has given Shannon Airport an independent board and management will help turn around the fortunes of the Mid West’s international airport.”
Patrick O’Donovan added that the credit for the initiative went to Michael Noonan who has already delivered in a very significant to the Mid West since he was appointed as Minister for Finance.
“There is no doubt about the fact that initiatives like these in Shannon have come about as a result of Michael Noonan’s determination to help drive the local economy here in the Mid West. The increase in passenger numbers at Shannon Airport which will come from this announcement together with the retention of the 9% VAT rate for the hospitality business will have a major impact on the tourism industry in the region and the Minister for Finance’s absolute commitment to ensuring tourism plays its role in the economic recovery of the country will be a key factor in this.
Patrick O’Donovan said that he looked forward to further developments in the Mid West and in particular in Limerick which are aimed at specific targets of the economy, and he said that he had no doubt about the importance of having Michael Noonan sitting at the cabinet table, in terms of the overall economic recovery in the region.