Aer Arann to cease island flights in December 2018

pepe the prawn

Aer Árann to cease operation of flights to Aran Islands according to a report on RTE news.

I wonder what this means for the islands, will the airports still be available for general aviation to use or will they be closed?

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2018/0606/968591-aer-arann-aran-islands/

L1011

Edited the title for you

After fighting to retain the PSO this is a bit of a slap in the face for the DoT. Copters to the city or nothing it is then

duskyjoe

Should the routes cease it would be a travesty for the West that the island airstrips go to rack and ruin. Inishboffin comes to mind.

LXFlyer

duskyjoe wrote: »

Should the routes cease it would be a travesty for the West that the island airstrips go to rack and ruin. Inishboffin comes to mind.

Why do you think the routes will cease? They will be re-tendered - the issue will be where they use on the mainland.

As per the previous poster it does sound a bit like O’Céidigh throwing his toys out of the pram to bully the DoT.

Lapmo_Dancer

I’m sure Padraig is praying for the return to power of Fianna Fail/Galway tent

embraer170

It is getting a bit ridiculous.

duskyjoe

LXFlyer wrote: »

Why do you think the routes will cease? They will be re-tendered - the issue will be where they use on the mainland.

As per the previous poster it does sound a bit like O’Céidigh throwing his toys out of the pram to bully the DoT.

Fair question but whose to say these Norman islanders are not getting tired now and a replacement plan is not even on the horizon. It wouldn’t surprise me the operation ceased. Here’s in hope not but it doesn’t look good.

LXFlyer

duskyjoe wrote: »

Fair question but whose to say these Norman islanders are not getting tired now and a replacement plan is not even on the horizon. It wouldn’t surprise me the operation ceased. Here’s in hope not but it doesn’t look good.

Aer Aran Islands don’t hold a monopoly on the ability to provide an air connection to the islands. You seem to be suggesting that they do. Why do you think no other airline can do it?

The airline have only announced today that they are withdrawing in six months time.

Do you seriously expect the government to instantly announce a replacement the day that the airline announces its future withdrawal?

A solution will be found that retains the air connection - you can bet your bottom dollar on that. Nothing less would be politically acceptable.

A tender process can take place relatively quickly, and I imagine a temporary direct appointment can take place if needs be to maintain connectivity.

The key is meeting islander needs while being good value to the State.

L1011

duskyjoe wrote: »

Fair question but whose to say these Norman islanders are not getting tired now and a replacement plan is not even on the horizon. It wouldn’t surprise me the operation ceased. Here’s in hope not but it doesn’t look good.

Aer Arann Islands own the existing Islanders. Any other operator would have to supply their own craft; and there are plenty of EU licenced operators of Islanders, Twin Otters and similar around.

duskyjoe

The ole negative me coming out, hope it all works out.

marno21

Why is there no appetite to run flights from the Island-Inverin-Carnmore ? Would Carnmore not be more useful than flying to Inverin and having to complete the rest of the journey by road?

TomOnBoard

Fairly predictable negotiation tactic IMO

notharrypotter

marno21 wrote: »

Why is there no appetite to run flights from the Island-Inverin-Carnmore ? Would Carnmore not be more useful than flying to Inverin and having to complete the rest of the journey by road?

Where does the boat leave from?
Answer that and you are half way there.

The service of is to falilitate access for the islanders.

There is limited actual tourist use.

Move to a point on the wrong side of the city will have sweet shag all benefit to the islanders.

L1011

The boats go from multiple locations.

Islanders may have to get used to using different supermarkets etc if it's moved to Carnmore or Galway Harbour as proposed for copters.

Carawaystick

On the radio the other morning it was stated that Aer Arran own the airport at Inverin,
Surely the best move would to be for the state to acquire a right to operate from there, or to operate from Ros a Mhíl, instead of Carnmore, with much shorter flight times

jasper100

L1011 wrote: »

The boats go from multiple locations.
.

The only place the boats go from is Rossaveal, AFAIK.

Tabnabs

jasper100 wrote: »

The only place the boats go from is Rossaveal, AFAIK.

Pretty much

L1011

jasper100 wrote: »

The only place the boats go from is Rossaveal, AFAIK.

And Doolin and Galway Harbour unless there's been a significant reduction

jasper100

L1011 wrote: »

And Doolin and Galway Harbour unless there's been a significant reduction

Nothing from Galway in years AFAIK. Doolin is only tourist traffic and only goes in the summer. The islanders all have cars on the mainland parked around rossaveal, so if you move the flights to galway airport then there is an issue as they wont be able to get to their cars too easily.

Johnny901

If Aer Arann Islands do walk away from this contract, what will PO'C do with Inverin and three Islanders ?

I presume Inverin will close if no service.

Somehow I think a solution will be found and Aer Arann Islands will continue with the PSO.

Can anyone explain what the problem with the contract is ?

Psychlops

jasper100 wrote: »

The only place the boats go from is Rossaveal, AFAIK.

Doolin also.

Nonoperational

Johnny901 wrote: »

If Aer Arann Islands do walk away from this contract, what will PO'C do with Inverin and three Islanders ?

I presume Inverin will close if no service.

Somehow I think a solution will be found and Aer Arann Islands will continue with the PSO.

Can anyone explain what the problem with the contract is ?

I think it's to do with subsidising all the flights vs a limited number of PSO flights. Appears to be going on for a long time, the locals were talking about it when I used the service over a year ago.

Reports Consultants hired to see what options are open to keep flights going.

On Galway Bay FM this morning, reports were that if nothing else is organised, these flights will go through Shannon.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/department-hires-air-consultants-to-continue-flights-to-aran-islands-1.3704045?mode=amp

Some developments.

Aer Arann offered to Island communities for €1
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/aer-arann-islands-offered-to-communities-for-1-1.3715105?mode=amp

Flights to Aran Islands to continue as agreement reached
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/flights-to-aran-islands-to-continue-as-agreement-reached-1.3716100?mode=amp

Stovepipe

I think this is too political to be allowed to die, short of a fatal crash. It's a real political grenade in Galway politics and anything that smacks of reducing any service to the Aran Islands is instantly shouted down by vested interests. Look at how fast the ESB reacted when the undersea cable between two of the islands was cut a few years ago ; they spent millions getting temporary generators on to the island and used expensive new techniques to get the cable fixed and threw manpower and resources at it until it was fixed. Other island communities wish they had the political power that the Aran Islands appear to have.

In all fairness, I think the aviation community can leave the politicking to the politimorons, there's four airstrips for GA visits (PPR) that just got left open as opposed to abandoned.

It's in our interests to keep these running, try to get Inishbofin (an airstrip built & runway marked) open for use, and possibly get the benefits of fixed-wing air travel to as many islands on our coasts as is viable. Our interests and the tax-miser's diverge.

Stovepipe

Four airfields were given away. Access to the islands for private aircraft has been badly handled compared to how the Scottish islands do it. Galway airport is effectively dead and at one time, they wanted eu 30 if you even spoke to them over the air. No thanks.

Stovepipe

Stovepipe wrote: »

Four airfields were given away. Access to the islands for private aircraft has been badly handled compared to how the Scottish islands do it. Galway airport is effectively dead and at one time, they wanted eu 30 if you even spoke to them over the air. No thanks.

Wow. Someone has a sore a***. I suppose you’d have them shut down to save the money for Weston or something...(politic politic BS BS a discussion with no place here but it’s going to be forced on us anyways because boards.ie is politico-heavy)

I hate how politics infects these discussions. Far better over on Flying In Ireland, where it’s aviation focused.

Stovepipe

No sore arse here. Galway has nine airfields and access to them for general aviation is either highly restricted or closed off. Inishbofin and Clifton have never opened despite the huge cost of building them, the Aran islands require a degree of hoop jumping to use them, the same applies to inverin and the main city airport is moribund and it's all down to local politics, in one of the most scenic places in the country and one of the nicest cities to visit.

Stovepipe

Stovepipe wrote: »

No sore arse here. Galway has nine airfields and access to them for general aviation is either highly restricted or closed off. Inishbofin and Clifton have never opened despite the huge cost of building them, the Aran islands require a degree of hoop jumping to use them, the same applies to inverin and the main city airport is moribund and it's all down to local politics, in one of the most scenic places in the country and one of the nicest cities to visit.

A touch passive aggressive, no?

Im not sure PPR is any different to other airfields for visiting aircraft, though I’d defer more to pilots who made the visit recently. A tenner landing charge isn’t exactly unreasonable either.

And the town is Clifden, while the airfield you refer to is more accurately Cleggan.

Carnmore does have its issues, but Galway Flying Club do sterling work keeping flight operations going.

And I can think of at least four private airfields east of the river in the county. One visible from the railway line in!

Stovepipe

Not a bit. Things might have changed recently but it was the case that PPR was 24 hours in advance and this was eventually reduced to 12 hrs for the islands and Inverin/Minna. It's probably more user-friendly now but it was often unavailable or restricted at a whim. It was essentially designed to keep people out of the way of the Islanders (the aeroplanes, not the people)... I don't mind the tenner, which is cheap as landing fees go, especially compared to the UK.....clifton? fat fingers/spellcheck error.....Good for GFC (a nice bunch of people) but a prime city airfield shouldn't have to rely on volunteers and generosity to stay open......I've been in a few of the private airfields around Galway. Craughwell is a particularly nice place to visit. Microlighting opens up a whole new vista for flying in Ireland, especially for getting into some of the smaller fields. We're lucky in Ireland in that its very possible to have friendly, open, unbureaucratic, cheap and fuss-free access to flying and small airfields and long may it continue.

Psychlops

The flights are staying until 2021 now.

https://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/104554/aran-service-at-connemara-airport-extended-until-2021