Shannon earmarked as US pre-clearance point

THE GOVERNMENT has said it will strive to make Shannon airport the first full pre-clearance point for entry into the United States from outside North America by the summer.

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey is to introduce new legislation in the Dáil soon after it returns from the Easter break that will allow US-bound passengers undertake all necessary inspections, including immigration and customs, prior to their departure to the United States.

He is also pressing for the facility to come into operation by July this year.

“This summer Shannon will be the first European airport to offer these facilities. The potential is enormous as passengers benefit from uninterrupted passage through US airports on arrival, saving time and hassle,” said Mr Dempsey.

“Transatlantic airlines will also benefit from being able to fly from Shannon into uncongested and less expensive airports in the US.”

In effect, the Air Navigation (US Pre-Clearance) Bill will give Shannon the same status as a US domestic airport. The Bill will also pave the way for Dublin to become a full pre-clearance facility once Terminal 2 there is opened next year.

Because full pre-clearance will take place in Shannon, it opens up the possibilities of direct flights between Ireland and “home” airports in the US such as La Guardia in New York and Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington DC.

According to the department spokeswoman, Mr Dempsey has been “pushing hard” to help Shannon get its designation in place by the summer.

The Bill is on the A list of priority legislation for forthcoming Dáil term.

The move follows the signing of an inter-governmental agreement with the then US secretary of homeland security Michael Chertoff last November.

Following the announcement of the upgrading of Shannon, British Airways announced it is considering a business class service from London City airport to the US with a stopover at Shannon.

The department said this weekend that it was confident that other airlines may follow BA’s lead.

The spokeswoman also said that officials at the department had been working intensely on the legislation for some months and the Bill was now at the “very final stages” of drafting.