#AranIslands - The Department of the Gaeltacht is in a stand-off with the owners of a Connemara airport that's once again thrown the future of the Aran Islands air service into doubt.
According to Galway Bay FM, the deadline for tenders for the Galway Bay islands' decades-old air link to the mainland had been set to expire at noon yesterday (Friday 3 June).
But it's been extended for another fortnight after the department failed to come to terms with the owners of the airport at Inverin over the cost of the Public Service Obligation contract.
The airport, near the ferry link at Rossaveal, was selected as the mainland terminal for the new air tender two months ago, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.
Subsequent concerns over the potential for increased fares or the replacement of the aeroplane link with a helicopter service – as per the controversial tender late last year – were not entertained by the department citing the ongoing tender process.