Mayor of Clare Tony Mulcahy has described the opening of full custom and border protection services at Shannon Airport as a landmark development for the County Clare hub and the Mid West Region. The Shannon Councillor said that the delivery of the new facilities underlined the resilience of the Mid West Region and the argument for a fully independent Shannon Airport Authority.

He stated: "The US Customs and Border Protection Inspection post will provide Shannon with an essential competitive advantage over other European Airports when developing additional services. It is also hoped that the establishment of this facility will help the airport win its share of additional business to almost 20 new gateways in the United States.”

Mayor Mulcahy said the new facilities essentially paved the way for Shannon Airport to grow business at a time when the aviation sector was struggling to cope with the economic downturn.

He added: “These facilities should, in the long term, greatly increase the number of transatlantic passengers flying through the airport and, subsequently, create numerous benefits for business and tourism throughout the region. The potential arising from the business generated by private aircraft traffic alone is expected to be significant. Business will be further buoyed if, as anticipated, cargo operators are cleared to use the service over the coming months.”

Mayor Mulcahy said that all efforts should now be placed on marketing Shannon Airport’s improved services throughout Europe and Asia.

“Marketing is key to the success of these facilities and whether or not Shannon Airport experiences growth in the coming years. The Region has an unprecedented opportunity to benefit from the lucrative transatlantic market and must develop a collaborative approach across all agencies”, he concluded.