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“Funding will put us in a better place” – Airport CEO

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By Sean Moriarty

 

Kerry Airport CEO John Mulhern has welcomed Government funding that will help the airport “navigate through this difficult winter”. On Tuesday, the Department of Transport announced an €80 million funding package for Irish airports following a disastrous year for the sector.

Kerry Airport has suffered particularly badly as a result of pandemic related restrictions.

Management there bravely kept the airport at Farranfore fully operational, even during the first lockdown that grounded Ryanair flights to and from the airport.

During the spring, only the Kerry-Dublin commuter flight operated but there was some hope when Ryanair started a limited schedule to and from German and British airports despite a very limited number of passengers using the services.

That was reversed once Level 5 restrictions came into force three weeks ago. Ryanair took the decision to stop flying to Kerry and other regional airports until December 14.

Kerry Airport were left with no choice but to lay off the majority of its staff as a result of the Ryanair decision, the first time this year they took any action that affected staff despite plummeting passenger numbers.

“The announcement of additional aviation supports is most warmly welcomed and appreciated. It will go some way to help us, eventually find our way back to full employment and busy flight schedules, here in Kerry and at all our islands’ airports,” Mr Mulhern said. “Thank you Deputy Brendan Griffin and Minister Norma Foley despite your hectic agendas you always find time for us. Thanks to all our county’s elected officials for your continued and loyal support of our great airport. Nobody says this crisis is over but you collectively put a hand on our backs to support us and we appreciate that.”

Kerry Airport will share over €6m in funding with Donegal and Knock Airports for operational support. This is in addition to the €21m already put aside in Budget 2021 for capital grants in regional airports.

Airport bosses previously said that every effort will be made to get all employees back to the workplace as soon as possible and they will stay in touch and available throughout the layoff and contact staff with any updates as soon as possible.

Kerry Airport, up until last week, was the only airport in the country that had not laid off staff.

“This will help get people back to work sooner than we imagined,” Mr Mulhern told the Killarney Advertiser but warned that cannot happen until Ryanair return to the airport. “This funding will put us in a better place and we will get employees back once Ryanair increases flights.”

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Contactless payments launched on Local Link services

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Passengers using TFI Local Link Kerry services in Killarney and across the county can now pay for their journeys using contactless card payments.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) confirmed the rollout this week, allowing commuters to simply tap their debit card, credit card, or mobile devices, such as Apple Pay and Google Pa, when boarding.

The move is designed to offer more convenience for those using high-frequency rural and regional routes.

In Killarney, the new payment option will be available on the TFI Anseo town services, which have seen a significant increase in passenger numbers since their introduction.

The contactless system is currently available for single journey fares, while those using daily or weekly passes can continue to use the Leap website or the TFI Leap Top Up App.
Alan O’Connell, General Manager of TFI Local Link Kerry, welcomed the modernisation of the fleet.

“The introduction of contactless payments is another welcome step forward for public transport in Kerry,” he said. “It complements other major projects in the county, including the expansion of TFI Local Link services and the delivery of TFI Anseo in Killarney, which is proving to be another great initiative.”

While the new technology offers a modern alternative, traditional payment methods are not being phased out. Cash payments, TFI Leap cards, and Free Travel Cards all remains fully valid across the network.

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How will our Kerry TDs vote tomorrow?

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Tomorrow, Sinn Féin will be tabling a motion of no confidence against the Government after the protests that took place nationwide during the week.

Earlier today we asked our readers how would they vote in a no confidence motion against the Government?

Most of our readers said they would vote no confidence, while some said, yes they do have confidence in the Government.

One reader said: “Vote confidence. The only proper leadership over the last few days came from government. Courage came when needed despite how unpopular it looked in the moment. By contrast, opposition politicians wanted the country to burn to suit themselves”.

Another reader stated: “No confidence. Shambolic and heavy handed handling of protests this past week”.

However, some people didn’t have any confidence in either side with a reader saying: “No confidence in the no confidence! Different wings of the same bird! We need a complete overhaul of the political system”.

We asked the question to our 5 Kerry TDs before lunch-time today, asking them what their vote will be tomorrow.

We received one reply from Sinn Féin’s Kerry TD Pa Daly.

He will be voting no confidence in the Government tomorrow along with his party.

Other media outlets are reporting that Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae is undecided at the moment.

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