Galway Bay fm newsroom – The Department of the Gaeltacht is refuting claims that the new tender advertised for an air service to the Aran Islands favors the use of helicopters.
In a statement to Galway Bay fm news, the department says such claims are completely inaccurate – and any such bias is illegal under EU law.
There was controversy last year when a helicopter company was selected to operate the service from Galway Airport in Carnmore.
The hotly-debated decision was eventually shelved last year following significant levels of local opposition – and a new tender has been advertised in the last fortnight.
Islanders have once more raised concerns over the latest tender – and one of their primary grievances is what they claim is a continued leaning towards a helicopter service.
However, a statement issued by the Department of the Gaeltacht says that such comments are completely inaccurate, and that EU law strictly prohibits the favouring of a particular aircraft or service provider.
It also addresses a number of other issues raised by Aran Islanders over the four year contract, including an increase in air fare prices.
The statement says that the 12 percent fare increase has been allowed as fare growth had fallen considerably behind the rate of inflation.
The Department of the Gaeltacht concludes by stating that it is conducting a fair and transparent tendering process – and it won’t be making any further comment until the process is complete.