Aviation Licence extended for further month

Aviation Licence extended for further month

Press Statement- 7th April 2014-04-07

 

Councillor Catherine Connolly said she welcomes the City Manager’s confirmation that the aviation licence at Carnmore Airport has been extended site for a further month.

 

Councillor  Connolly said this is an issue she has raised repeatedly at Council Level since learning earlier this year that both the City and County Councils had purchased the airport site which comprises of 115 acres.

The Councils she said regard this site as a significant strategic asset and they have earmarked it for future economic development.

However what has remained totally unclear for some time now she said is whether the Airport will continue to function for core services and also to service strategic companies and businesses located in Galway.

Indeed it was very worrying she said that any time the licence was raised at Council level by herself and/or other Councillors the Manager’s response was that the Councils had not bought an airport but a brown field site and in any event they were still in the process of purchasing same.

Cllr Connolly said she was most unhappy with this type of response and particularly given that the aviation licence was to run out in early April.

It has now been confirmed by the City Manager however that the Aviation Licence has been extended for a month but that it is the Council’s intention to ensure that there are further extensions/renewals and that it is his intention to ensure that an aviation licence will be in existence when both the City and County Councils assume ownership of the site by early May 2014.

Councillor Connolly said this is reassuring as it would make

no sense to deprive an Airport of an aviation  licence in a City like Galway which is substantially reliant on foreign investment. Moreover the Airport is also essential for core services and to leave it idle while awaiting long term plans and investment would be self-defeating.

She said she will be closing monitoring the situation at Council level and that the City Manager has promised a full report at the May meeting.

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