Shannon Group welcomes the Mid-West Action Plan
Shannon Group plc has the welcomed the Mid-West Action Plan published yesterday, stating that the plan is entirely in alignment with the strategic direction being undertaken by the Group.
The plan targets 66 investments for the Mid-West over the period 2015-2019 and singles out aviation as one of the clusters identified for growth, including targeting new inward investment opportunities by marketing the region as a location for FDI by aviation and aerospace companies. It also sets ambitious targets for increasing tourism employment, revenue and visitor numbers.
Key ambitions for the sector set out in the plan are:
- The formation of a cluster group of aviation and aerospace industries in the region to support collaboration between existing enterprises in the region and to attract further investment in the sector, with the International Aviation Services Centre playing a leading role
- Enhancing the infrastructure in the region to support growth of existing enterprises and to act as a key selling point to attract further investment in the sector, something to which Shannon Commercial Properties is central
- Developing marketing packages to promote Ireland and Shannon for aerospace manufacturing capabilities and aerospace/aviation firms
Consideration is also being given in the plan to a proposed new Aerospace and Aviation Institute, Aero-I, which would form a key part of an overall strategy to position Shannon and the Mid-West region as the ‘Aerospace and Aviation Valley of Ireland’. Based in Shannon, the institute would assemble and align the many assets of the Mid West in a centre for Aerospace and Aviation education and research.
Said Shannon Group plc Chairman Rose Hynes, “We warmly welcome the Mid-West Action Plan for Jobs. It is a positive and dynamic blueprint for job creation across the region and very much recognises the role that the Shannon Group, through Shannon Airport, the International Aviation Services Centre (IASC) and Shannon Commercial Properties Limited will play in this.
“The Action Plan for jobs for the region, and particularly what it proposes for the aviation/aerospace and tourism sectors mirrors our own vision for the Shannon Group and wider region. It is particularly appropriate that the plan identifies opportunities for the aviation and aerospace cluster, which the report clearly identifies as having a significant role in driving enterprise growth in the region.”
Said Shannon Group plc CEO Neil Pakey, “This Mid-West Action Plan for jobs is very much a validation of our own strategy, and we look forward to our business units Shannon Commercial Properties and the International Aviation Services Centre playing a key role, as envisaged in the plan.
“Shannon and the International Aviation Services Centre is already home to a cluster of some 50 aerospace and aviation companies. We welcome the Plan’s recognition of the importance of such clusters and are committed to working with the other regional stakeholders to build on success to date and to implement the Plan’s actions.
“In terms of tourism, the plan envisages growing overseas numbers in the region to 1.26million, employment by 25% and revenue to €375million per annum in tourism by 20215. Plans for enhancing existing tourism offerings such as the Wild Atlantic Way and developing new ones are also very much welcome and we look forward to playing a key role in maximising these opportunities through Shannon Airport, as well as our Shannon Heritage assets such as Bunratty Castle and King John’s Castle.”
