Tralee Chamber Alliance has registered its strong support for the continuation of the Public Service Obligation subsidy on the Kerry-Dublin air route.
In a letter to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar, from Tralee Chamber Alliance, a number of key concerns were outlined as to why the PSO should be retained.
The Government currently supports services to and from Kerry Airport through the State funded Public Service Obligation (PSO) contract. Under the current contract, which is set to expire later this year, two return services per day operate between Kerry and Dublin Airports.
A decision on whether or not to maintain the current PSO structure is due to be made in the coming weeks and Tralee Chamber Alliance has teamed up with Killarney, Dingle, Listowel and Kenmare Chambers of Commerce to put pressure on the Government to retain the service.
The President of Tralee Chamber Alliance, Pádraig McGillicuddy, said: “There are many valid economic, tourism, medical and accessibility reasons why the Government should continue to subsidise the Kerry-Dublin route. The road network from Dublin is problematic with three bottlenecks between Limerick to Tralee. Access to Dublin airport with ongoing connections is critical for many of the firms in the technology park in Tralee and Kerry Group. The flight provides an invaluable link for Tourists from all over the world to visit Kerry. We are also concerned that the loss of the Dublin flight could put the whole future of Kerry Airport in jeopardy.”
The Minister for Transport and Tourism, Leo Varadkar is expected to make a decision on whether or not to renew the PSO servicing Kerry in the coming weeks.
Tralee Chamber Alliance is urging all its members to write to the Minister to stress the importance of the service to Tralee and the whole region as an essential piece of transport infrastructure that should be retained.
