FedEx Express to run four new weekly flights from Shannon

"Do you have any penalty points?" the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, quipped as Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher inspected a F1 car parked in the arrivals terminal at Shannon airport yesterday.

The German driver and younger brother of Michael was in Shannon to promote FedEx Express announcing four new flights out of Shannon each week, which will create 24 new jobs between Dublin and Shannon airports.

At the launch, the Aer Rianta director of Shannon, Mr Martin Moroney, declared that Shannon is aiming to become the long-haul cargo gateway for the Republic. Mr Moroney said that currently 25,000 tonnes of cargo, representing 25 per cent of all air freight cargo, passes through Shannon each year.

He said: "I am fully aware of the needs and concerns of the business community in the west of Ireland about cargo and the need to have available cargo services, but I believe that we can grow this service because we are centrally located in the critical industrial clusters of Shannon, Limerick and Galway."

Mr Moroney said the decision by FedEx to launch four new weekly flights out of Shannon was "huge". The recently announced ending of the Aer Lingus cargo service out of Shannon was "insignificant" when compared to the FedEx decision to invest in Shannon, he said.

According to FedEx managing director of operations and customer care in northern Europe, Mr David Canavan, the new service will create 24 jobs - 10 in Shannon and 14 in Dublin.

He said: "The company is optimistic that these numbers will increase, given business growth in Ireland, alongside FedEx's own double-digit growth across Europe, Middle East and Africa."

Mr Canavan said the flights would connect to FedEx's European hub at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris and on to Asia.

He said: "The key benefits for Irish business, regardless of size and scale, is improved delivery times, improvements of up to 24 hours in FedEx services with more Irish shippers now able to access."

He added: "Our key message to Irish exporters is that FedEx will now offer better and faster access and better connectivity to your major trading partners."

Launching the service, Mr Brennan said: "Improved connectivity with international business and manufacturing is essential for the development of the Irish economy.

"FedEx is the world's largest express transport company and this development by such a major international airline is a strong vote of confidence in Shannon and the mid-west."