Publicity at Knock airport
IMMEDIATE action needs to be taken by Knock airport management to promote Sligo more in and around the airport.
That’s according to Councillor Rosaleen O’Grady who called on the County Council to ask Knock airport managers to review the “evidence of Sligo at the airport.”
“This is the third time I’ve raised this. I don’t think we’re getting our fair share,” she told the October meeting of the Council.
She recalled approaching a desk at Knock airport last year and asking them where she should go.
“I was told to go south. I asked them ‘what about going north? No, my best bet was to go south,” she told members last week.
She asked the Council to write to airport management as she wasn’t happy with the response given to her by personnel at the desk.
Cllr O’Grady said she still thought the annual ¤50,000 Sligo County Council contributes to the airport was “wise” but felt Sligo wasn’t getting its fair share.
Cllr Hubert Keaney said the last time he was at the airport “none of the brochures on offer were on Sligo.” He also said the 1.5km link road to the N17 was a great opportunity to erect signs about Sligo. Cllr Sinead Maguire pointed out that the last time the issue was raised members were told there was to be a dedicated booth for Sligo erected at the airport and she wondered if that had been done.
Responding, Director of Services Dorothy Clarke said a lot of work had been done behind the scenes over the last number of months but they still had a “lot of work to do” and asked for members patience.
Cllr O’Grady said it was good to know there was a plan in place but it was “long-term”.
“I’m talking about a simple short-term solution. To come through Knock airport and see no brochure about Sligo - that’s not good enough,” she said.
“It’s three years since I first brought this up and there’s not any improvement. We are losing if there are people at desks telling people to go south. I’d ask you to continue the big plan but to also put in brochures so that people know about Sligo and that personnel at the desk won’t be telling people to go south,” she added.
Council Chief Executive Ciarán Hayes said he would “take it up in the short term” with airport management and said he shared the concern regarding the desk personnel.