Shannon Airport may benefit from the launch of a Clare-owned low-cost executive jet airline, which is set to launch this September.JetBird predicts it will carry 273,000 passengers a year when it has 100 aircraft, which would equate to roughly 2 per cent of the business air travel market today.
JetBird is the creation of Clare-born financier Domhnal Slattery and is backed by his Claret Capital private equity group, which in turn numbers Senator Feargal Quinn and his family as investors. Last September, a Saudi family paid €10 million for a 9.3 per cent stake in JetBird. The Irish airline is thought to be in talks with the Saudi investors about the possibility of launching a similar venture in the Middle East over the next three years. JetBird also secured $10 million in debt financing from Royal Bank of Scotland to pay for the delivery of aircraft.
