A Fine Gael T.D has described a situation where chartered aircraft cannot use Shannon Airport’s US Pre-Clearance facilities as a ‘debacle’.
Fine Gael’s Deputy Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs Pat Breen claims that more than 70% of European corporate aircraft cannot use the new US Pre-Clearance facility because it currently excludes chartered aircraft.
The facility, which was announced in January, is designed so that all US bound private aircraft passengers clear US entry controls before boarding the aircraft at Shannon and upon arrival in the US, passengers are treated as if they had arrived from a US domestic airport.
Pre-Clearance for commercial flights to the US from Shannon had already been introduced on the 5th of August 2009.
Speaking Thursday, Mr. Breen said the airport is losing much needed business because of the anomaly in which the Pre-Clearance facility is only available to owner-operated business jets.
“The service is only available to owner-operated aircraft but excludes chartered aircraft. This restriction also means jets are restricted in the number of US airports which they can fly into. This anomaly must be resolved as soon as possible.”
He says he hopes U.S and Irish officials can swiftly resolve the matter in upcoming meetings. “Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin must raise this matter directly with President Barrack Obama on St Patrick’s Day in Washington”, he added.
