Islanders aim to persuade new Government on fixed-wing flight

Islanders have called for an urgent meeting with the Gaeltacht Minister to withdraw the existing tender for an air service from the mainland to the Aran Islands.

And they are hopeful that with the formation of a new government, “the system will change to suit us”.

Locals still believe that a helicopter service seems to be the preferred option by the Minister to serve the routes – despite massive opposition on the islands.

Following a public meeting on Inis Oírr last week, Paddy Crowe of the Save Our Air Service (SOS) campaign group said islanders are frustrated that their questions are not being answered.

“We can only get the answer to one question at a time on the proposed service through the tendering process. We want to sit down with the Minister and put all our questions together,” Mr Crowe told the Connacht Tribune.

He added that a new government – and potentially a new Gaeltacht Minister – may be a help to their campaign.

“Hopefully, the system will change to suit us,” he said.

A statement from the SOS group following the meeting read: “There was dismay and disappointment that the PSO (Public Service Obligation) air service to the Aran Islands is yet again in danger as it has been for the last five years.

“The community goes from year to year not knowing if the service on which they rely will continue and are suspicious that the intention is to downgrade it to such an extent that it will not be possible to sustain it into the future.

“The communities on the islands have made it clear what their needs are – that is a fixed-wing air service from Connemara airport with a suitable road transport system to cater for that. These needs are not being met by the current tendering process.

“The ‘process’ is the total focus of the Minister and the department. This ‘process’ failed us last year and the Minister had to step in at the last minute and withdraw that tender.

“The community expressed their lack of faith in this process and are not convinced that it will be any different on this occasion and therefore, we call on the Minister to withdraw the tender at this stage with a view to creating a system that will continue to serve the needs of the community,” the statement reads.

Islanders believe a helicopter service would be unreliable because of the West of Ireland weather, and in the event of cancelled flights, they would have to travel 52km from Galway Airport through city traffic to the ferry port in Ros a’ Mhíl.

Their existing journey from Conamara Airport to the ferry is just 8km – less than ten minutes.

“We are requesting an urgent meeting with the Minister to outline to him the concerns of our community in order to try and come to a solution that will allow us to develop a sustainable system that will serve requirements for the coming years.”

They have also expressed anger at price hikes which have been stipulated under the new tendering process – under the old contract, islanders were charged €34.95 per flight, but the fixed charge in the new tender is €40.25. It represents an increase of 15% per passenger per journey. Tourists face an even bigger increase – their tickets will be set at €60, up 22% from the current rate.