GALWAY AIRPORT has begun negotiations to reduce its workforce by 70 per cent, following last week’s decision by Aer Arann to suspend flights to and from the west coast capital.
Up to 40 of the 55 jobs at the airport will be affected,as Aer Arann has been its sole scheduled flight operator.
Aer Arann routes between Galway and London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Waterford will be withdrawn from November 1st. The airline abandoned its Galway-Dublin link when public obligation subsidies were cancelled.
Aer Arann Regional has offered relocation options to its 35 flight deck and cabin crew in Galway, and has said a “small number of redundancies” may arise.
However, it is expected that most of Galway Airport staff will be let go, with key functions including air traffic control and fire-fighting being retained. Some 175 posts in indirect employment are also likely to be affected.
Airport management has initiated “a process” this week on redundancy terms, as the airport will be reduced from a category five to a category two airbase from the beginning of next month, a spokesman said.
Airport managing director Joe Walsh will step down from his position next month as it is understood he has secured a post abroad. He has paid tribute to his colleagues, who he has described as a “very loyal group of individuals with different skills that we have developed over the years”.
He has said that the airport’s business model will have to be reviewed, but it would remain open for business.
At its height in the last decade, Galway Airport recorded traffic of almost 90,000 passengers a year on flights to and from London-Luton, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and to Malaga in Spain. It had survived in the previous decade on two Aer Lingus flights a week.
Multinationals in Galway have argued that the air link is vital for the information technology and medical device clusters in Galway. The value of Galway and Sligo airports in providing links to international hubs was outlined in a recent Western Development Commission analysis. However, Galway Airport was affected by the opening of the M6 motorway, cutting travel times to and from Dublin and Dublin airport.
Last week, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar described as “regrettable but inevitable” the Aer Arann decision to suspend flights. Even with current State funding for the airport, Mr Varadkar said he understood Aer Arann’s bookings from Galway had been declining, while advance bookings on the Galway routes had been well below overall market performance.
Galway Chamber of Commerce, which owns the airport, accused the Government of “undermining confidence” by signalling its decision to withdraw operational funding.