USAF interested in purchasing Shannon Airport
national |
miscellaneous |
news report 
Wednesday March 26, 2003 10:39
by Damien Crowley
An international commercial bank has expressed an interest in acquiring one third of Aer Rianta, valuing the state-owned airport operator at between €2.6 billion and €3 billion.
USAF interested in purchasing Shannon Airport
An international commercial bank has expressed an interest in acquiring one third of Aer Rianta, valuing the state-owned airport operator at between €2.6 billion and €3 billion.
The interest of the unnamed bank was brought to the attention of Seamus Brennan, the minister for transport, when he attended an Aer Rianta board meeting last October. In its discussions with Brennan the company has made it clear that competition at Dublin airport, and plans to turn Cork and Shannon airports into separate commercial entities.
With the removal of the compulsory stop-over for trans-atlantic routes, Shannon airport would be of most interest to international freight forwarders or delivery companies who could utilise the facilities almost exclusively. Amongst those interested in Shannon is the United States Air Force. "Obviously we would be interested" said a Pentagon spokesperson "Shannon is a fabulous facility with a top class runway and would be very suitable for the United States as a strategic and secure troop transport facility."
Although Aer Rianta's plans are at a early stage, it is conservatively reckoned that Shannon Airport would command a pricetag of around €700 million. The prospect of a windfall will be welcomed by Aer Rianta staff if they can secure a 5% stake in the company, similar to the stakes negotiated by employees in other state-owned companies. If this succeeded the 3,300 employees could look forward to a payment of nearly €13,000 each in the event that one third of the business was sold for €850m.
Any decision on the future of Aer Rianta will be subject to the approval of David Begg, the general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
Comments (4 of 4)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4I have absolutely no confidence in Our government (especially Mary Hearny) not to sell our land to The US military and the will of the people will not even be a consideration.
What's next? A military base in Leitrim?
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Dead Slow March for Peace
by GNAW - Grassroots Network Against War
ggantiwar@yahoo.com
Mourning the Death of Irish Neutrality and All Deaths in Iraq
Next Sunday, 30th March will see a Dead Slow March for Peace taking place at Shannon Warport.(Meeting 2pm at the shopping centre). People will gather at Shannon from all over the country to express opposition to the war in Iraq and to Irish participation in it, through the use of facilities at Shannon by US military on their way to the Gulf.
This will be a solemn occasion, an act of mourning for all those who have been or will be killed in this war and for the final death of Irish Neutrality. Organisers are asking participants to wear black clothes, white face paint and to bring red paint or fake blood to put on their hands.
This protest has been called by the Grassroots Network Against War and is being supported by the Cork Peace Alliance.
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