Deputy Pringle has again called on Stobart Air to address the public’s concerns regarding what he claims are ‘an excessive number of cancellations of flights to Dublin from the airport’.
Pringle says that ‘more concerns have been expressed about the rate of cancellations as no one has come forward to adequately explain these incidents and find a solution this situation. We need to make sure other factors are not at play here.’
“I understand that so far more than 8 flights have been cancelled and in December 23 flights (18 to Dublin) were cancelled at the airport. Not long ago a 79 year old woman was due to travel for specialised cancer treatment at Cork University Hospital but the flight to Dublin was cancelled forcing her to cancel her appointment,” said Deputy Pringle.
“Stobart Air has the PSO contract from Carrickfin. When they previously operated out of Carrickfin with the same type of airplane they did not have the same volume of cancellations. I have said before that surely when they tendered for the contract they were aware of any potential challenges and should have prepared properly for them.”
Pringle told Donegal Daily: “Stobart Air previously informed me that they have had three cancellations in January for technical problems but this appears to me to be an excessive amount of problems that warrants investigation by the Department of Transport. I have contacted the Minister asking him to investigate this matter but the Minister refuses to engage in any substantial manner.
“The situation is undermining the confidence of the communities and the people’s confidence in the airport. Donegal deserves a high quality transport service like anyone else in the country and it’s only right that any questions or concerns are addressed in a transparent manner including the company involved and the Minister with oversight on these matters.”