Aer Lingus decision on clearance at Shannon criticised

A DECISION by Aer Lingus not to use pre-clearance facilities at Shannon airport for transatlantic flights has come under sharp criticism.

The new € 21 million US customs and immigration facility became operational at the airport three weeks ago. Travellers who use it are treated as US domestic passengers. It is the first US pre-clearance facility in Europe following a bilateral agreement between the US and Ireland.

Continental Airlines, Delta and US Airways have signed up to use it with three flights a day through Shannon, an airport spokeswoman said.

British Airways will begin to use the pre-clearance facilities on September 29th for two flights a day from London to New York, the airport spokeswoman said.

However, Aer Lingus will not use the service until similar facilities are in place at Dublin airport next year, due to operational and logistical reasons.

Aer Lingus corporate affairs director Enda Corneille said transatlantic flights from Dublin and Shannon would go to different US terminals, domestic and international, if it used the Shannon facility.

“Splitting business in US airports is not ideal,” he said on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland yesterday, adding that the US carriers had their own terminals.

“If Dublin had it and Shannon didn’t, we would be in the same boat,” he added.

Mayor of Shannon Seán McLoughlin said he was “disappointed but not surprised” at Aer Lingus’s decision and described it as “another Aer Lingus blow to Shannon”. The facility made travelling easier for passengers, he said.

“If BA is doing it from London I can’t see why not from Dublin only 20 minutes away,” he said.

The Department of Transport has raised the matter with Aer Lingus.

It was in the department’s interest that the maximum number of airlines use the facility but it was an operational matter for the airline, a department spokeswoman said.