Shannon Airport Feasibility Study Report 2012-10-02

8/22/2019 Shannon Airport Feasibility Study Report 2012-10-02

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ShannonAirportFeasibilityStudy,September2012 Page0

ShannonAirportFeasibilityStudy

CommissionedbyIrishAid

26September2012

DanielDieckhaus,ProjectManager

GrahamHeaslip,Humanitarianexpert

IanHeigh,DirectorEverywhere-SupplyChainManagementexpert

HettyvanDoorn,GeneralManager Everywhere

Everywhere-HumanitarianResponseandLogisticsServices,Ltd

[email protected]

www.everywheresevices.org


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Index

Page

ExecutiveSummary 2

Introduction 5

1. Thequestiontobeanswered 6

2. DevelopmentofpossiblerolesforShannonAirport 72.1. StrategicLandscape 72.2. PotentialforShannonAirport 122.3. Optionselection 15

3. Optionsinvestigation 183.1. Benefitsandrisks 183.2. Cost 193.3. Viability 20

4. Optionsanalysis 264.1. Role1:PrepositioningofReliefItems 26 4.2. Role2:PrepositioningofMedicalItems 284.3. Role3:TrainingCentre 294.4. Role4:EUCivilProtection 30

5. Recommendation 32

References 34

Appendices

Appendix1:TermsofReference

Appendix2:Thehumanitarianenvironment

Appendix3:Humanitarianfunctions

Appendix4:Benefitandriskanalysis

Appendix5:Costanalysis

Appendix6:Viabilityanalysis

Appendix7:Stakeholders/Organisationsconsulted

Appendix8:Selectedreferences


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ExecutiveSummary

Thisstudy,commissionedbyIrishAid,evaluatesthefeasibilityofapotentialhumanitarianhub

atShannonAirport.Toachievethisend,thereport1)establishesthecentralquestiontobeanswered,2)comparesthecurrenthumanitarianlandscapeandfunctionswithShannon

Airportsmaincapabilitiestodeterminepotentialrolesfortheairport,3)investigatesthese

potentialrolesbyexaminingrisksandbenefits,costs,andviability,4)basedofffindingsfrom

thisinvestigation,analyseseachrolesmainadvantagesanddrawbacksand5)usesthe

analysistoprovidefinalrecommendations.Thereportisbasedonfindingsfromdocument

researchandinterviewswith42stakeholdersfrom27differentorganizations.

Studyquestion

UsingtheTermsofReferenceandinconsultationwiththeMinisterofStateforTradeand

Cooperation,theIrishAidDirectorGeneralandtheIrishAidEmergencyRecoverySection,the

centralquestiontobeansweredwasestablishedas: IstherearoleforShannonAirportand

itsfacilitiesintheinternationalhumanitarianreliefeffort?

Strategichumanitarianlandscape,ShannonAirportandpotentialroles

Asurveyofthestrategichumanitarianlandscapeshowedadeclineinfundingrelativeto

demandandrisingcostsalongwitharelatedpushtowardgreaterconsolidation,effectiveness,

efficiencyandvalueformoney.Inparticular,humanitarianactorsincreasinglyuseexternal

serviceproviderstoimproveresponsivenesstodisasters,achievelowercosts(through

avoidingoverhead,poolingservices,andhigheroperatingefficiencies),andtapintoexternalexpertise.Forservicesthatentailphysicallocationssuchasstorageofreliefitems,proximityto

disasteraffectedareas,lowertransport/storagecostsandeaseofaccessisemphasized.

Anexaminationofthevarioushumanitarianfunctionsandmostcommonexternallysourced

servicesdidnotrevealsubstantialgaps;themajorityofexternallysourcedservicesappearto

havefairlysaturatedmarketswithfewsubstantialconcernsfromusers.

Asapotentialexternalserviceprovider,ShannonAirportscapabilitiesfallintothreemain

categoriesofstrengths:(i)Thephysicalfacilities,services,operationalcapabilitiesandlocation

ofShannonAirport,(ii)LocalgovernmentalandcommercialsupporttoShannonAirportand,(iii)Complementaryactors/serviceslocatedinthevicinityofShannonAirport,suchasthird

partylogisticsprovidersandmedicalindustryleaders.

Giventhesestrengthsandthecurrenthumanitarianenvironmentthestudyidentifiedfour

potentialhumanitarianrolesforShannonAirport:

1) Prepositioningofreliefitems,2) Prepositioningofmedicalitems,3) Trainingcentre,and4) EUcivilprotection.


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Roleinvestigationandanalysis

Foreachrole,theprojectteamexaminedcurrentserviceprovidersandspoketoavarietyof

keystakeholders-fromuserstodonorsandnetworkmanagers.

Benefitsandrisksforeachoptionwereassessedbyansweringthreemainquestions:

1) DoestheroleforShannonAirportmakesensegiventhereasoningbehindthathumanitarianfunction?

2) DoestheroleforShannonAirportfitintoon-goingtrendsforthatfunction?3) DoestheroleforShannonAirporthelpfillanygapsorcontributeanaddedvalue?

Thentheteamcalculatedestimatedcostsperoptionforstart-upandannualoperationand

assessedtheviabilityasthecombinationofthreevariables:confidence(CanShannonAirport

adequatelyperformtherole?),implementationcosts(Howmuchinvestmentisrequiredfor

start-upofthisrole?),andlikelihoodofuse(Willorganisationsuse/fundShannonAirportin

thisrole?).

Risk/benefit

Analysisandassessmentoftheinformationcollectedthroughthesestepsshowedthatthe

rolesrelatedtotheprepositioningofmedicalorgeneralreliefitemsshowpoorrisk/benefit

ratiosbecausetheyruncountertothelogicoflocatingstocksclosetodisasterresponsesites

and/orsuppliers,countertoon-goingtrendsmovingstocksawayfromEuropeandtowardsub-

regionallocations,anddonotfilloraddressanygapsinexistingprepositioningnetworks.

Theroleoftrainingcentreshowsamarginallybetterrisk/benefitratioduetoitspotentialuse

asaneutralsite,butpresentsaninconvenienttraveldestinationforaidagenciesandrunscountertocurrenttrendspushingforgreatertrainingheldinregionalandsub-regional

locationsinAfricaandAsia.

Valueformoney

ThestudyshowslowrelativevalueformoneyforthepotentialrolesofShannonAirport,given

theassociatedoperationandtransportcosts,lowlikelihoodofusageorregularfunding,

uncertaintyofspecificservicesoffered(forthetrainingcentrerole),andthepre-existenceof

relativelywell-functioningserviceproviders.Forexample,theestimatedcostsofrunninga

prepositioningsiteatShannonAirportforjustoneyearrepresentstheequivalentofproviding

humanitarianaidtoover23,000people;aprovisionofaidthatcanandhasbeendoneusing

existingprepositioningnetworks. i

Viability

Duetotherisk/benefitissuesaddressedaboveandthefactthattherearenomajorgapsin

existingstructures,stakeholdersconsulteddidnotseeShannonAirportasastrongsitetofilla

humanitarianrolenordidtheybelievetheirorganisationswoulduse,manage,orfundsucha

role.

iSeeinsetboxinsection4.1forfurtherinformation.


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TheydidnothaveaclearfavourableimpressionoftheviabilityofShannonAirportinanyoftheproposedhumanitarianrolesandshowedaminimaldegreeofinterest.Inanenvironmentoftightfunding,thehumanitarianrolesforShannonAirportfraughtwithexpectedhighcostanduncertainty-donotpresentasuperioralternativetocurrentserviceproviders.

Recommendations

ThisanalysisledtheteamtoconcludethatitdoesnotpresentlyseearoleforShannon

Airportthataddsclearvaluetotheinternationalhumanitarianreliefeffort.

However,thestudydoesprovideapotentialopeningforaroleforShannonAirportinEUCivil

Protection.WhilenotspecificallypartofhumanitarianreliefnorundertheremitofIrishAid,

somecommonalitiesdoexist,suchasattheEUlevelwhereaDirectorateGeneral(DG-ECHO)

existsforHumanitarianAidandCivilProtection. ii

AnEUcivilprotectionroleforShannonAirportpresentsamoreattractiverisk/benefitratio

thantheotherthreerolesbecause(i)thepotentialEuropeandisastersitesarecloser,(ii)

Shannonsneutral,peripheralsitecouldbeusefulincertaincircumstances,and(ii)itcouldfit

intoongoingtrendsattheEUleveltostrengthencivilprotectioncoordinationandresponse

capabilities.

EUcivilprotectionalsoshowshigherviabilitythanotherrolesbecauseECHOhasnotyet

defineditscivilprotectionpolicydirectionandisexploringvariousoptions,includingthe

potentialestablishmentofwarehousingsitesofparticularinteresttoShannonAirport.While

thespecificsarebynomeansdecided,anEUcivilprotectionroleforShannonAirportmaypotentiallyrepresentbettervalueformoney,particularlybecausetherearenoclearservice

providerswithwhomtocompete.

Inconclusion,itshouldbenotedthatthereislittletodoubtaboutthecommitmentof

ShannonAirportanditsvariousstakeholderstodevelopinganewroleforthesite.

Unfortunately,geography,costs,andexistingstructuresdonotmakeShannonAirportanideal

locationforhumanitarianfunctions.Thisstudythereforerecommendsagainstfurtherpursuit

ofahumanitarianroleforShannonAirportandinsteadadvocatesfurtherfocusandeffortto

beplacedondevelopingthepossibilitiesthoughuncertainandpotentiallylimitedofa

rolerelatedtocivilprotectionattheEUlevel.

iiThisstudyconsideredtheEUcivilprotectionroleforShannonAirportbecause:(i)thespecificstudyobjectivesintheIrishAidTermsofReference(Appendix1)requestedanexaminationofahumanitarianhubinthecontextoftheEEAS, (ii) the Minister of State for Trade and Cooperation requested the study to explore asmany options as

possibleat the EU level, and (iii)Irish Aid listed for consultation stakeholdersat EU levelthat specialize incivilprotection.


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Introduction

Thepurposeofafeasibilitystudyistoidentifyandevaluateparticularcoursesofactionfor

anorganisation,supportedbytheanalysisofitsbenefits,costs,andrisks.ThisreportpresentsastudyonthefeasibilityoftheuseofShannonAirportintheglobalhumanitarian

system.

Themethodologyusedtocreatethefeasibilitystudyisshowninthefigureabove.Thereport

iscompiledfromtheoutputsoftheindividualprocesssteps.Afterestablishingthe study

questioninsectionone,sectiontwodescribeshowthe possiblerolesforShannonAirportwere

selected.Sectionthreedescribestheresultsofthe investigationofthevalidityoftheroles.Sectionfoursanalysisoftheseresultsisthenusedtocreatea recommendationinsectionfive.

Incompletingthisreport42stakeholderswerecontactedfrom27differentorganisations,

includingIrishAid,UNagencies,theEU,internationalhumanitarianorganisations,IrishNGOs,

commercialentitiesandrelevantstakeholdersintheShannonarea.Appendix7

Stakeholders/Organisationsconsultedprovidesanoverviewoforganisationsand

stakeholdersconsulted.

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1. Thequestiontobeanswered

IstherearoleforShannonAirportanditsfacilitiesintheinternationalhumanitarianrelief

effort?

ThisfeasibilitystudyhasbeencommissionedbyIrishAidtoaddressthepointsnotedinthe

studytermsofreference(Appendix1)aswellasanswerthequestionnotedabove.Thisstudy

questionwasjointlysetafterconsultationswiththeMinisterofStateforTradeand

Development,theIrishAidDirectorGeneralandtheIrishAidEmergencyRecoverySection.

Inadditiontothequestionandthetermsofreference,thefeasibilitystudyteamwereasked

tokeepinmindthefollowingpoints:

PleaseensurethatthestudyisbroadenoughsoasnottobelimitedsolelytoIrishAidactivitiesnortobefocusedonlyonlogistics.

Wewouldalsoexpectyourreporttoputforwardconcreteoptionsandrecommendationsonhowbestsuchanoutcomemightbeachieved.

ImportantNotes

WeinterpretShannonAirportsroleasanexternalserviceprovider;inotherwords,ShannonAirportshumanitarianactivitieswillneitherbeself-funded,self-directed,norcompletelyfundedordirectedbytheIrishgovernment.Rather,ShannonAirportsrole

wouldbetoprovidefacilitiesandservicestohumanitarianactors,whowouldinturn

choosewhichfacilitiesorservicestoutilize.Humanitariandonorswouldalsochoosewhich

ofthesefacilitiesorservicestofund.

Humanitarianreliefeffortsareinterpretedasencompassingtheinternationalresponses(inpersonnel,goods,equipment,andservices)tonaturalandcomplexdisasters 1.


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2. DevelopmentofthepossiblerolesforShannonAirport

Ashort-listofpossiblerolesforShannonAirporthasbeencreatedtoanswerthefeasibility

studyquestion.Thissectionexplainshowandwhytheseroleswereselected.

Thepossiblerolesforinvestigationhavebeenselectedinthreedistinctsteps.First,the

strategicenvironmenthasbeenanalysedtoestablishwhatalreadyhappensandpossiblegaps

orareasforimprovementinhumanitarianresponse.Secondlyananalysishasbeenmadeof

thefacilitiesandservicesShannonAirporthastooffer.Thethirdstepwasthentocross

referencethepotentialgapswiththepossibleservicestoestablishrealisticpotentialrolesthat

deservedfurtherscrutiny.

2.1. StrategicLandscapeThisstrategiclandscapeconsistsoftwoelements:thegeneralenvironmentinwhichservices

aredeliveredandidentificationofspecificfunctionsperformedinthehumanitariansector.

2.1.1. Theenvironmentinwhichhumanitarianservicesaremanagedanddelivered

Thishumanitarianenvironmentisdescribedinfourmainareas:thedemand(needstobe

fulfilled),funding(abilitytomeetneeds),actors(whoisusingfunding)andthetrendsresulting

fromtheinteractionofdemandandfunding.Themainfindingsaresummarizedbelow,with

Appendix2Thehumanitarianenvironmentprovidingadditionalinformation.

Totaldonationsforinternationalhumanitarianresponseareatrecordhighs,withthebulkofdonationscomingfromgovernments.Topdonorshavebeenconstantforthelastten

years2.

Yetdespiterecordfunding,thegapbetweenmetandunmetneedsincreasedbetween2007-2011,inpartduetoincreasedfoodandfuelcosts 3.Thismeansadeclineinrelative

funding.

Thedestinationofhumanitarianassistancehasbeenrelativelyconstant,withAfricaandAsiareceivingthebulkoffundingbetween2006-2010 4.

Thedecreaseinrelativefundingandgovernmentalbudgetaryconcernshaveincreasedhumanitarianactorsfocusonefficiency,coordination,andconsolidationinorderto

maximizethevalueformoneyofdonorfunding 5.

2.1.2. Humanitarianfunctions

Thehumanitarianreliefeffortistheinternationalresponse(inpersonnel,goods,equipment,

andservices)tonaturalandcomplexdisasters 6.


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Humanitarianactorsperformavarietyoffunctionsaspartofthisresponse,manyofwhichare

sourcedexternally7.InordertoformageneralideaofpotentialrolesforShannonAirport,this

studyexaminedthemorecommonexternallysourcedservices.

Twooftheseservices(headquartersandtraining )areinternalgoalsforhumanitarianactors;four(procurement,warehousing,medicalsupplies,andtransport)revolvearound

operational/supplychainissues;andafinalfunctiondealswith civilprotectionissues8.While

notspecificallypartofhumanitarianrelief,thisstudyconsideredthecivilprotectionrolefor

ShannonAirportbecause:(i)thespecificstudyobjectivesintheIrishAidTermsofReference

(Appendix1)requestedanexaminationofahumanitarianhubinthecontextoftheEEAS,(ii)

theMinisterofStateforTradeandCooperationrequestedthestudytoexploreasmany

optionsaspossibleattheEUlevel,and(iii)IrishAidlistedforconsultationstakeholdersatEU

levelthatspecializeincivilprotection.

Themainfindingsare:

Humanitarianorganisationsoutsourcefunctionsinordertoimproveresponsivenesstodisastersandtolowercosts-avoidingoverhead(suchaswarehousemaintenance),

poolingserviceswithotherhumanitarianactors,andcapitalizinguponthehigher

operatingefficienciesofexternalproviders 9.

Humanitarianactorsseektotapintotheexpertiseofferedbyexternalproviders,improvingbothefficiencyandeffectiveness.Anexampleissupplierrelationship

management10.

Physicallocationsareprimarilychosenduetocost,easeofaccess,andproximity(distance/traveltime)todisasteraffectedareasorutilizingorganisations 11.

Themajorityofexternallysourcedservicesappeartohavefairlysaturatedmarketswithfewsubstantialcomplaintsfromusers.Inotherwords,fewtruegapsareapparent.One

possibleexceptioniscivilprotectionintheEUasroles,objectivesandstrategyarenotyet

formallydecidedupon(InterviewswithUNHRD,UNICEF,OCHA,ECHO,EEAS).

Appendix3Humanitarianfunctionsaddresseshumanitarianfunctionsindetail,butabrief

snapshotofeachisprovidedbelow.

Headquarters

Theheadquartersofhumanitarianorganisationsprovidesupporttothefield,managedonor

relationships,developstrategies,andhousesubjectmatterexpertisesuchasprogramming,

logistics,andinternalbusinessfunctions 12.Tohousethesefunctions,humanitarianactorsneed

externalservicessimilartocorporateentities:officebuildingswithsufficientinformationand

communicationtechnology(ICT)resources 13.

ExistingServiceProvidersandTrends

Themajorityofhumanitarianheadquartersarelocatedinornearmajordonorcapitalsor

otherstrategiccities.


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Therearelittletonosignsofmovementintheseheadquarterslocations.UNHRD,forexample,didnotenvisionmovingitsheadquartersfromBrindisi,UNICEFreported,thereisnoneedtomoveourheadquarters.WehavejustinvestedinnewfacilitiesinCopenhagenincludingastateofthearttrainingfacilities.

Training/Capacitydevelopment

Regardlessofsizeorscope,everyhumanitarianorganisationneedsqualitypersonneltodeliver

theirobjectives.Manyorganisationsdonothavethetime,resources,expertiseorappropriate

facilitiestoprovidethistrainingandoftenrelyonoutsideconsultantsorotherhumanitarian

actorstoprovidetrainingpersonnel,instruction,orlocations 14.


Threegroupsprovideexternaltrainingservices:(i)commercialconsultants,(ii)other

humanitarianactorssuchasWFP(asthelogisticsclusterleadagency,WFPhostsLogistics

ResponseTeamscenario-basedtrainingclosetotheUNHRDhubinBrindisi)and(iii)academicinstitutionssuchasFritzInstitute,INSEADinFrance,LundUniversityinSwedenand

MassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyintheUSA.Trendsincludeapushtostreamlinecareer

trainingpipelinesforhumanitarianlogisticiansandshiftingtrainingfocusfrom

European/AmericanregionstoAfricaandAsia 15.

Procurementservices

Organisationsneedprocurementexpertise-includingmarketintelligence,supplier

relationships,andbuyingpower-tosourceavarietyofreliefgoodsandservices 16.Smaller

actorsoftenlackcapacitytoeffectivelyprocure,whilelargerpurchasershavecapacitybut

oftenendupcompetingagainstotherhumanitarianactors.Therefore,someorganisations

utilizetheprocurementservicesofotherhumanitarianactorsinexchangeforaservicefee 17.


Thoughseveralothersexist,fourmajororganisationsoffersharedprocurementservicesthat

areutilizedbyhundredsofactors,includingNGOs,UNagencies,andRedCross/RedCrescent

NationalSocieties.Theseorganisationsare(i)theUNHRDnetwork,coordinatedfromBrindisi-

Italy,(ii)IFRCand(iii)WHOinGeneva-Switzerland,and(iv)UNICEFinCopenhagen,Denmark.

Withinorganisationsandthehumanitarianindustryitself,procurementisbeingcentralized,

increasingmarketanalysisandadvancingsuppliercollaboration18

.

Warehousing/Storage

Manyhumanitarianactorsprepositionsuppliesclosetocommonlyaffectedareastoenable

fasterresponsetimeandlessexpenditureontransportationcosts.Mostoftheseorganisations

useexternalproviderstomaintainreliefstocksinordertoavoidoverheadandlabour

investmentsandtotakeadvantageofothers'inventorymanagementexpertise,lower

warehousingcosts,andtheabilitytosharestocksamongmultipleorganisations 19.These

externalproviderscanbeeithercommercialentitiesorotherhumanitarianactorsthatcharge

aservicefee20.


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Majorsharedserviceprepositioningwarehousenetworkswithstockssufficientforhundreds

ofthousandsoffamiliesaremaintainedbytheUNHRDandIFRCandareutilizedbyalarge

numberofhumanitarianactors.Additionalorganisationswithstocksaroundtheworldinclude

UNICEF,WHO,Oxfam,JICA,USAID,MSF,andAusAID.Trendsforprepositioningnetworks

demonstrateamovetosub-regionalwarehousing,reductionofstorageinEurope,apushfor

self-sustainmentandcompetitionforlimitedfunding 21.

Medicalitemprocurementandstorage

Theprocurementandstorageofessentialreliefmedicinesisaspecializedareabecauseofthe

highrisksinvolvedandrequirementsforspecificproceduressuchascoldchain,inthe

selection,procurement,distribution,storage,rationaluseanddisposalofunfitmedicines 22.

Organisationsutilizeexternalserviceprovidersforreasonssimilartothosedescribedinthe

procurementandwarehousingsectionsabove;tolowercostandutilizeexternalexpertise,particularlyintheareaofqualitycontrolandassurance 23.


WHOandECHOhavecertifiednineHumanitarianProcurementCentres(HPCs)specialisedin

buyingemergencyandhealthsupplies,includingmedicalprocurement 24.

MostofthemajorprepositioningwarehousenetworksandspecializedmedicalNGOs-IFRC,

UNHRDUNICEF,MSFhavedesignatedspecificstoragespaceforcoldchain/medicinestorage,

generallyconsolidatingmedicinestorageinonecentrallocation.ForUNICEFandUNHRDthisis

Dubai,forMSFBordeauxandBrussels.MSFstatedthatalargenumberofmedicinesusedin

humanitarianresponsearegenericsandareoftensourcedfromlowercostmanufacturingsitesinIndiaandAsia.Otherhumanitarianorganisationspointedtoanincreaseduseof

vendor-managedinventoryaspartofstocksduetolowturnoverandshortproductlife-cycle

ofmedicines.

Transportation

Toavoidcosts,fewhumanitarianorganisationsownoroperatetheirowntransportation

assets.Instead,theseservicesarecommerciallycontractedeitherbyframeworkagreementor

onanadhocbasiswithshippersandthirdpartylogisticsproviders(3PLs) 25.Transportation

needscanalsobeconsolidatedtosavecostandfullyutilizecapacity,withlargerhumanitarian

actorsofferingtheircontractedtransportationservicestosmallerorganisationsinexchange

foraservicefee26.


Transportationservicesareofferedbythemajoractorsinprocurementandprepositioning

previouslyoutlined(UNHRD/WFP,IFRC).Standardleadersinthe3PLindustryalsoprovide

commerciallycontractedtransportationservices,forexampleKuehne&Nagel,Panalpina,DHL

andChapman27.Aswithotherareas,humanitarianactorsareunderpressuretoincrease

efficiencyandcoordination,particularlywithrisingfuelcosts.Effortsincludecoordinationand

consolidationofrequests28

.


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CivilProtectionforEU

ECHOandtheEuropeanExternalActionService(EEAS)definecivilprotectionindifferentways.

WhereasECHOdescribescivilprotectionasbeingafunctionofCivilDefence,theEEAS

describesitasmoreamilitaryfunction.ThemainroleofcivilprotectionwithintheEUisto

supportandcomplementMemberStates'actionatnational,regionalandlocallevel.Within

theEuropeanUnionthisincludesworkintheareaofriskprevention,preparingcivil-protection

personnelandinrespondingtonaturalormanmadedisasters,andpromotingswift,effective

operationalcooperationbetweennationalcivilprotectionservices;Italsoencompassesto

promoteconsistencyininternationalcivil-protectionwork. 29

ThekeyinstrumentforEuropeancivilprotectionistheCivilProtectionMechanism(CPM)

establishedin2001thatfacilitatesco-operationincivilprotectionassistanceinterventionsin

theeventofmajoremergencies.With27EUand5othermemberstates,theCPMofferstools

tofacilitateadequatepreparednessandeffectivedisasterresponseatacommunitylevel.

30

Signedin2007,theLisbonTreatystrengthenedcoordinationcapabilitiesbyprovidingalegal

basisforboththemechanismandforfinancingorco-financingofoperationalcosts,suchas

transportationofassetsbetweencooperatingcountries.

ThoughtheEUhasnotyetlegallydefinedcivilprotectionitisexamining5areas:1)prevention,

preparedness&response,2)information,3)intervention,4)post-disasteranalysisand

recoveryand5)communitytoolsforcivilprotection 31.Theexternalservicesrequiredfor

effectivecivilprotectioncouldbesimilartomanyofthosediscussedforhumanitarianactors

(e.g.procurement,prepositioningandtransportation)withsimilarconsiderationssuchascost,

expertiseandproximity.

CivilprotectioninIreland

CivilprotectioninIrelandencompassestheeffortsofvariousorganizationsandfunctions,

includingpolice,fireservices,military,healthservices,agricultureandotherdepartments,to

ensurepeoplesphysicalwell-beingandprotectionfromeventssuchasdisease,flooding,

firesandunrest.Domestically,civilprotectionisorganizedandcoordinatedthroughthe

DepartmentofDefencesOfficeofEmergencyPlanning.TheDepartmentofEnvironment,

CommunityandLocalGovernment,ledbytheNationalDirectorateforFireandEmergency

Management,representsIrelandatEUlevelonvariouscivilprotectioncommittees.

Irelandhasprovidedsomeresources,suchasfloodmanagementexperts,inresponseto

requestsfromotherEUmemberstates,thoughtheNationalDirectoratedescribesIrelandas

notamajorplayerrelativetolargerstatessuchasGermany,FranceortheUK.

Correspondingly,Irelandalsohashadlessinvolvementaton-goingEUpolicydiscussions.

Atthesametime,theNationalDirectorateiswellawareofthecurrentproposaltoestablish

logisticshubsandco-financestoredmaterialsandassets.However,initsestimation,sucha

proposalisfarfromcertain,withmanymemberstatesseeinghubsandstorageofassetsas

eitherthreatstothecontrolofnationalassetsorsimplypooruseofEuropeantaxpayermoney.


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ECHOstatedthatcurrentlycivilprotectionassetsaremovedfromonecountrytoanother,

followingthedisasterrequirements.Ininterviews,ECHOstaffalsomentionedthatdepending

onscenariostudiesandpoliticalmovementatEU,civilprotectionhubscouldbeconsidered,

thoughnopoliticalconsensusisexpectedbefore2013andthatpotentialroomfor

improvementexistsfortrainingprogramsandexercisesdesignedtostrengthenintra-European

coordinationofcivilprotection.

2.2. PotentialforShannonAirportAspartofthedatacollectionprocess,interviewswereconductedwithseveralstakeholders

interestedinthedevelopmentofahumanitarianroleforShannonAirport,includingShannon

AirportAuthority,ShannonDevelopment,MidWesternRegionalAuthorityandClareCounty

Council(seeAppendix7 Stakeholders/Organisationsconsultedforfurtherdetails).

Intervieweeswereaskedtooutline(i)thevariousstrengthsofShannonAirportand(ii)howtheythoughtShannonAirportcouldbestfitinthehumanitarianresponsesector.

BelowisadescriptionofthecharacteristicsthatShannonAirporthastooffer.Ingeneral,

ShannonAirportsstrengthsfallintothreecategories:

1) Thephysicalfacilities,services,operationalcapabilitiesandlocationofShannonAirport2) LocalimportanceandsupporttoShannonAirport3) Complementaryactors/serviceslocatedinthevicinityofShannonAirport

2.2.3. Physicalfacilities,services,operationalcapabilitiesandlocationStrengthsidentifiedforthiscategoryare:

Airportcapacity.ShannonAirportisawell-equipped,uncongestedairportwithconsiderableunutilizedcapacity.Inrecentyears,recessionarypressureandotherfactors

haveledtoa50-55%declineinbothpassengerandcargotrafficatShannonAirport 32.

ThereforeShannonAirportnowhassignificantcapacitytooffertothehumanitarian

sector.

Flexibility.TheShannonAirportAuthoritymentionedthatShannonAirportsrunwaylengthcanaccommodatealmosttheentirerangeofcargoandpassengeraircraftsandtheHeadofOperationsandServicesatShannonAirportemphasisedthatShannonAirport

canengageinairportoperations24hoursaday,365daysayearandithasrapidrefuelling

capacity.

Easyaccesstoseveralon-sitemaintenanceservices.InApril2012,theRussianfirmTransAeroacquiredanShannonAirport-basedaircraftmaintenancefirmandShannon

AerospaceLtd.,asubsidiaryofLufthansa,continuestoprovideoverhaulservicestoover

50differentairlines33.


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Substantialsecuritycapabilities .TheShannonAirportAuthoritymentionedthatShannonAirporthassubstantialsecuritycapabilities,stemmingfrompreviousarrangements

facilitatingUSmilitarylandings.TheseUSlandingsarenowlargelydiscontinued.

Storagecapacity.TheShannonAirportareahassignificantstoragecapacity,withupto30,000squaremetresavailable,includinglimitedcoldstorageforupto4PMCpallets

(roughly50squaremetres).

Globallocation.ShannonAirportAuthoritystressedthat:- ShannonAirportislocatedatakeymidwaypointontransatlanticshippingroutes.- Approximately70%ofallEuropeanaviationtraffictoUSusesShannonairspace.- ShannonAirportislocatedwithin2hoursflyingtimeofmostmajordestinationsin

Europe.

AnoverviewofthemaincharacteristicsofShannonAirportislistedinthetablebelow.

2.2.2 LocalimportanceandsupporttoShannonAirport

Strengthsidentifiedforthiscategoryare:

Economicimpact.ShannonAirportiscommonlyrecognizedasadriverforCountyandregionaleconomicdevelopment.Thereforedevelopmentofadditionalroles,suchasa

humanitarianfunction,hassubstantialsupportfromlocalgovernmentandeconomic

developmentorganisations.

ClareCountyCouncilsupport.IntheirCountyDevelopmentPlan 34,ClareCountyCouncilincludedasakeygoalthatShannonAirportmustcontinuetomaximiseitscompetitive

advantagesintermsofaviationandaviationrelatedactivity.TheClareCountyManagerandDirectorofServicesatClareCountyCounciloutlinedthattheCountyDevelopment

PlanseekstoprovideaplatformtoensurethegrowthanddevelopmentofShannon

Airportandharnessitsfullpotential.AkeycomponentoftheCountyDevelopmentPlanis

tofacilitatetheeconomicdevelopmentandexpansionofShannonInternationalAirport

toincludeanInternationalAirFreightCargoHubandinnovativeinitiativessuchasaglobal

logisticscentreforhumanitarianaid.TheDevelopmentPlanisthesinglemostimportant

policydocumentfortheCountyasitrepresentsanagreedeconomic,social,culturaland

environmentalblueprintforthefutureplanning,growthanddevelopmentofCountyClare.

DevelopmentofahumanitarianroleforShannonAirportthereforenotonlyhassupport

butalsoisbeingactivelyplannedforbylocalgovernments.

ShannonAirportcapacities

RunwayLength 3,199m

Operationalhours 24h

Noise/curfewrestrictions None

RefuelServices Hydrantandmobilerefueling;11mill iongalloncapacity

Warehousefacilities 30,000sqm

Coldroomstorage 4PMCpallets;+2Cto+8C


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Innovativeimage.TheCountyDevelopmentPlan 35furtheroutlinedthatShannonAirporthasalwaysbeeninnovativeinmaximisingitsstrategiclocation,beinghistorically

renownedfortransatlanticflights,theinventionofdutyfreeand,morerecently,thefirst

CustomsandBorderProtectionlocatedoutsidetheUSA.TheShannonAirportAuthoritystressedthisinnovativenessinoutliningitswillingnessandflexibilitytoaccommodate

humanitarianfunctionsatShannonAirport.

2.2.3. Complementaryactors/serviceslocatedinthevicinityofShannonAirport

ThreemaingroupscouldcomplementapotentialhumanitarianroleforShannonAirport.

a) Presenceofaviationservices.Overhalfofallaircraft-leasingfirmsintheworldarelocatedinShannonorDublin36.Humanitarianoperationsofteninvolveaircargotransport,almost

entirelyhandledonacontractedbasis.Co-locatedleasingfirmscouldthereforeofferpotentialbenefitsinsmoothingorspeedingprocessesforhumanitarianfunctionsin

ShannonAirport.

b) Presenceofthirdpartylogisticsproviders.Nineoftheworldstoptenfreightforwardingorganisations-TNT,DHL,UPS,FedEx,Ceva,C.H.Robinson,DBSchenker,Panalpina,and

Khuene+NagelhaveofficesoroperationsinthevicinityofShannonAirport.Mostof

theseorganisationsarealreadyinvolvedinfacilitatinglogisticsincludingcustoms

clearance,warehousing,transport,andfreightforwardingforhumanitarian

organisations(interviewswithUNHRD,IFRC,UNICEF).TheadditionofShannonAirportto

thehumanitariansupportstructurecouldbesmoothedbythesecommercialactors.c) Presenceofcommercialmedicinefirms.ShannonAirportislocatedamongstavarietyof

industryclusters.IntervieweesliketheMidwesternRegionalAuthoritybelievethe

ShannonAirportareabringsmorethanjustlogisticstothetable,pointingtoalocal

concentrationofmedical,engineering,ICT,environmental/cleantechanduniversities.An

extensiveclusterofpharmaceutical(suchasPfizer)andbiomedicalfacilities(suchas

BostonScientific,Medtronic)arebasedwithinashortdistanceofShannonAirportand

couldbemobilisedintheeventofahumanitarianincident.Partnershipsbetweenthese

commercialactorsandhumanitarianorganisationsalreadyexist,particularlyinthe

specializedfieldofmedicines(outlinedinAppendix3 Humanitarianfunctions).Therefore,manyintervieweesfeltthatclustersofrelevantindustriescouldstrengthenan

argumentforahumanitarianrole,pointingtogainsfromtightercoordinationandshared

learning.


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Whatelseshouldbeconsidered?

Additionalcommentsandconsiderationsprovidedbystakeholdersincludedthefollowing

points:

Cost.Aclearandstructuredmechanismforairportandstoragecostwouldberequired.Intervieweesmentionedtheneedforflexiblecostingmodels,dependingonvolumesand

customerusage.

Marketconformity.ShannonAirportAuthorityrealisesthatcostingandefficiencyshouldbeinlinewithcommonstandardsinthehumanitariansectorandwiththoseservices

currentlyofferedbytheUNHRDnetwork,IFRCorotherproviders.

PotentialdevelopmentofglobalairfreighthubbyLynxs.ShannonAirportAuthoritymentionedthatUSinternationalcargogroupLynxshasagreedtoadealtostartthe

processofdevelopingaglobalairfreighthubatShannonAirport.Lynxswillconstructa

newtemperature-controlledfreightlogisticsfacilityatShannonwithinfrastructural

supportfromtheDublinAirportAuthority.Thestate-of-the-artcargofacility,projectedat

19,000squaremetresatacostof$15million,isdesignedtobringnewfreight

opportunitiestoShannonfromtransportandlogisticscompaniesbothinIrelandand

abroad37.RayBrimble,CEOofLynxs,explainedthenewventurewillincludechilledfrozen

andheatedareasforcargo,whichwouldenableShannontobidformorehighvaluehigh

volumefreightbusiness.TheLynxsinitiativeaimstotakeadvantageoftheairports2,000

acresofdevelopablelandandthevariousnearbyrealestateofferings,includingbusiness

parksandofficespace.

2.3. OptionSelection

Thissectionaddressesthefollowingquestion:Giventhecurrentenvironmentandtrends,and

whatShannonAirporthastooffer,whatarethebestoptionstoanalyse?Thebelowtable

cross-referencescommonexternallysourcedhumanitarianfunctionswiththestrengthsthat

ShannonAirportbringstothetable.

ShannonAirportBenefitsFacilities&

Services

Operational

CapabilitiesLocation Localsupport

Complementary

ActorsHumanitarianFunction

Headquarters

Training/CapacityBuilding

Procurement

Warehousing

MedicalItems

Transportation

EUCivilProtection


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Thelargenumberofhumanitarianactorsandfunctionscouldresultinanevenlargernumber

ofalternativestoexplore.Inordertokeepthisnumbermanageable,twomainrulesare

applied.First,thehumanitarianfunctionshouldbeoneforwhichorganisationstendtorely

onexternalproviderseithercommercialorotherhumanitarianactors. Inotherwords,the

functionshouldnotbeonethatmostorganisationsconsideracore-competencyandtherefore

handlein-house.Second,thefunctionshouldbeonethatroughlycorrespondstoatleastone

ofthethreemainstrengthsofShannonAirport:itsphysicalfacilitiesandservices,local

importanceandsupportoritsnearbycomplementarypartners.

Threeoftheabovelistedfunctionsarenotincludedinthefinalanalysis.Transportationisnot

analysedbecauseitislargelyincludedaspartofprepositioningnetworks/warehouses,since

networkmanagersnormallyarrangetransportationofclientsgoodsfromdepotstodisaster

sites.Headquartersandprocurementarenotanalysedbecausetheirfacilityrequirements

(simplyanofficebuilding)donotclearlymatchShannonAirportsuniquestrengths.

iii

Eachofthebelowrolesnotespotentialusers,managers,anddonors.Itiscriticaltoemphasize

thesethreepoints,asanyroleforShannonAirportanditsfacilitiesdirectlydependsonits

servicesactuallybeingfunded,managedandusedbythehumanitariansector.

Role PotentialUsers PotentialManagers PotentialDonors

1. PrepositioningofReliefItems

NGOs,UNagencies,IFRC UNHRD,UNAgencies,

NGOs,IFRC

ECHO

2. PrepositioningofMedicalItems

NGOs,UNAgencies,IFRC UNHRD,UNAgencies,

NGOs,IFRC

ECHO

3. TrainingCentre NGOs,Clusters,Commercial

NGOs,ClusterLead,Academic,Commercial

ECHO

4. EUCivilProtection ECHO ECHO ECHO

Role1-PrepositioningofReliefItems:ShannonAirportwarehousespaceisutilizedtostore

humanitarianreliefitemsthatcanbequicklydeployedviaShannonAirporttodisastersites

locatedeithergloballyorincloserspecificregions(EasternEuropeorNorthAfrica).Potential

userscanbeanyhumanitarianactor(aswithcurrentuseofexistingnetworks).Thissitecanbe

managedasoneoftheexistingprepositioningnetworksorasanewstandalonelocation,most

likelybycommercialentities.DonorscanbeECHO,largeUNagencies,orevenprivate

organisations/individuals.Fundingwouldbeexpectedtoestablishinitialoperationsuntilthelocationbecomesself-sustaining.

Role2PrepositioningMedicalItems:ShannonAirportwarehousespaceemphasizingcold

chainstorageutilizedtostoremedicalitems(pharmaceuticals,equipment)thatcanbe

quicklydeployedviaShannonAirporttodisastersiteslocatedeithergloballyorincloser

specificregions(EasternEuropeorNorthAfrica).

iiiThecaseforaspecificcompany(e.g.a3PL)offeringprocurementservicestohumanitarianactorsisaseparate

issuefromourmainquestion:IstherearoleforShannonAirportanditsfacilitiesintheinternational

humanitarianreliefeffort?


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Potentialuserscanbeanyhumanitarianactorthatnormallyhandlesmedicalitemsin

humanitarianresponse.Thissitecanbemanagedasoneoftheexistingprepositioning

networksorasanewstandalonelocation,mostlikelybycommercialentities.Donorscanbe

ECHO,largeUNagencies,orprivateorganisations/individuals.Nearbycommercial

pharmaceuticalcompaniescouldalsoactaspartialdonorsofmedicalitems.Fundingwouldbe

expectedtoestablishinitialoperationsuntilthelocationbecomesself-sustaining.

Role3TrainingCentre:ShannonAirportofficespace,hangarbays,barracks,runwaysand

otherfacilitiesutilizedforavarietyoftrainingsfromstandardlecturestoscenario-based

engagements.PotentialuserscanbeNGOsorclusters(e.g.logisticscluster,WASHcluster)

lookingforjointand/orimpartialtraining,orcommercialactorslookingfortrainingaspartof

corporatesocialresponsibility.ManagerscouldbeanNGO,clusterlead,neutralcommercial

entity,oracademicinstitution.Donorscontributingtositestart-upcanbeECHO,governments,

orprivatecontributors.

Role4EUCivilProtection:ThisroleenvisionsShannonAirportwarehousespaceutilized(i)to

prepositionspecializedcivilprotectiongearand/or(ii)asastaging/consolidationpointforcivil

protectionpersonnelandequipmentcomingfrommultipleEuropeancountriesanddeploying

todisastersglobally.Equipmentcouldincludesuchitemsaschemical,biological,radiological,

nuclearandexplosive(CBRNE)responseandclean-upgear.Thepotentialuserswouldbe

participatingEUmemberstates,ECHOcouldhandlemanagement,andfundingwouldcome

fromECHOand/ormemberstates38.

Itshouldbenotedthatcivilprotectionfallsoutsidethescopeoftraditionalhumanitarian

action39.UNagenciesparticipatinginthisstudyreinforcedthisview,reportingthatcivilprotectionwasseenasaroleoutsideofthesphereofactivityforhumanitarian

organisations.AtEUlevelthisrolesitsbetweenECHOandEEAS(seeAppendix3

Humanitarianfunctions),whileintheIrishcontext,civilprotectionisoutsidetheremitofIrish

Aid,fallingundertheremitoftheDepartmentofEnvironment,CommunityandLocal

Government.Asnotedinsection2,thisstudyincludedEUcivilprotectionfollowingthe

objectivesoftheToR,requestsfromtheMinisterforTradeandCooperation,andstakeholder

selectionbyIrishAid.


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3 Optionsinvestigation

Whatarethebenefits,risks,costsandviabilityforeachpossiblerole?

Thepossibleroleshavebeenassessedintermsofthebenefitsandrisks,costsandviabilityof

implementation.Theresultsarepresentedinthefollowingsection.

3.1. BenefitsandRisks

ThebenefitsandrisksassociatedwitheachroleforShannonAirportanditsfacilitieshavebeen

assessed.Thetablebelowshowshowwelleachrolefitsthelogicandtrendsandfillsthegaps

identifiedinsection2.1andsupportingappendices.Inotherwords,itanswersthree

questions:

DoestheroleforShannonAirportmakesensegiventhereasoningbehindthathumanitarianfunction?

DoestheroleforShannonAirportfitintoon-goingtrendsforthatfunction? DoestheroleforShannonAirporthelpfillanygapsorcontributeanaddedvalue?

Thisfeasibilitystudyreportsauthorsassessedtheseareasusingdataobtainedthrough

researchofthehumanitarianenvironmentandhumanitarianfunctions(Appendices1and2),

thecapabilitiesofferedbyShannonAirport(section2.2),andfeedbackcollectedfromstakeholderinterviews(section3.3).

Foreachofthecategories,asignificancevalueof1-5wasappliedtoidentifiedrisksand

benefits.Sincerisksandbenefitsareessentiallytrade-offs,risksweresubtractedfrombenefits

andtheresultingscoredescribedasapercentageofthemaximumtotalpoints.Aslidingscale

isthusused,whereascoreof100%signifiesnoriskandmaximumbenefitandascoreof0%

signifiesmaximumriskandnobenefit.Scoreslessthan50%signifythatrisksoutweigh

benefits,andscoresgreaterthan50%showthatbenefitsoutweighrisks.

AnexplanationofthemethodologyandmoredetailedfindingscanbefoundinAppendix4-

BenefitandriskAnalysis.

Role OverallRating Logic Trend Gap


31% 30% 26% 38%


39% 34% 38% 44%

3. TrainingCentre 53% 60% 50% 50%4. EUCivilProtection 57% 64% 52% 56%


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3.2. Costs

Calculationofcostinginformationforthisfeasibilitystudyrequiresuseofassumptions;for

example,itischallengingtoestimatestoragerequirementswhenusagevolumeisuncertain.

However,roughdatafromcurrenthumanitarianactivityallowanestimateofannualoperating

costs.Foreachoftheproposedroles,researchwasconductedintothescope,scale,andcost

structureofexistingserviceproviders(e.g.UNHRDfortheproposedrolePrepositioningof

ReliefItems).Desktopresearchandinterviewshelpedestablishanapproximateindustry

averagecostperunit.AnestimatewasthenmadeforvolumeofannualactivityatShannon

Airportinordertocalculateendcost.

Trainingcentrecostsarehighlydependentonthetypesandnumberoftrainingsessions

offered.Stakeholderinterviewsanddesktopresearchprovidedsetupcostsforatraining

centre/centreofexcellence.Asareferencepointandbasedoffthisresearch,theassumptionismadeherethatatrainingcentreatShannonAirportwouldannuallyofferamixoftechnical

training,managementcourses,andscenario-basedtraining.Itisimportanttonotethatthese

trainingofferingswouldbemadebyatrainingprovider(notShannonAirportitself)andso

operationalcostswouldlargelybecoveredbetweenthetrainingproviderandparticipants

notShannonAirportitself.

EUcivilprotectioncostsarealsohighlydependentonthetypesandscaleoftheservices

offeredthesecouldrangefromstorageofwaterpurificationequipmenttoprepositioningof

helicopters.Nevertheless,ageneralapproximationcanbemadebasedofffigurescalculated

forprepositioningofreliefitems(role1).

Forroles1,2,and4(prepositioningofreliefandmedicalitems,EUcivilprotection),costsare

alsocalculatedfordeploymentcosts,thelattersignifyingthecosttoactuallyusethe

facilityinanemergency.Thisuseisinterpretedasaircargotransporttocommonresponse

sites,asreportedbyIrishAid(forroles1and2)andECHO(forrole4).Theaircargocostper

tonneoriginatingfromShannonAirportismeasuredagainsttheaircargocostpertonne

originatingfromexistingorpotentialfuturehumanitarian/civilprotectionsites,givingthe

percentagedifferencebetweencostofShannonAirportandcostofcheapestlocation.

FurtherdetailsandmethodologiesforcostofallfourrolesareavailableinAppendix5 Cost

analysis.

Note:Start-upcostsarenotincludedinthissectionofthereportinordertogiveanindicative

comparisonofShannonspotentialcostwiththecostofcurrenthumanitarianactivities.

Includingstart-upcostswouldmakethecomparisonunfair;theyareinsteadincludedin

section3.3,Viability.


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Role Annualoperatingcosts


$790,522


$1,196,185

3. TrainingCentre ($1,675,458)iv4. EUCivilProtection $627,375

DeploymentCostsRoles1and2

AirCostperTonneby

Destination

Shannon

Airport

%Difference

Cheapest

Option

Brindisi,

Italy

Accra,

Ghana

Dubai,

UAE

Subang,

Malaysia

PanamaCity,

Panama

Cameroon $2,883 337% $2,082 $659 $2,641 $5,366 $5,038

Pakistan $3,330 243% $2,455 $4,073 $970 $2,838 $7,306

Myanmar $4,800 248% $3,940 $5,265 $2,177 $1,380 $8,652

Haiti $3,317 389% $4,379 $3,975 $6,300 $9,340 $678

DeploymentCostsRole4

AirCostperTonneby

Destination

Shannon

Airport

%Difference

CheapestOptionBrussels,Belgium Frankfurt,Germany Paris,France

Cyprus $1,911 47% $1,438 $1,301 $1,466

Bosnia $1,126 111% $657 $534 $677

Hungary $1,038 150% $565 $416 $628

3.3. Viability

Thisstudydescribesroleviabilityasthecombinationofthreevariables:confidence(CanShannonAirportadequatelyperformtherole?),implementationcosts(Howmuch

investmentisrequiredforstart-upofthisrole?),andlikelihoodofuse(Willorganisations

use/fundShannonAirportinthisrole?).

Confidenceandlikelihoodquestionswereposedtothreecategoriesofstakeholders:potential

users,potentialmanagers/serviceproviders,andpotentialdonors.Theirfeedbackwas

assignedaquantitativerankingfrom1through5,with1beingveryweakand5beingvery

strong;forexample,auserrankingof5inlikelihoodsignifiesthatuserishighlylikelytoutilize

ShannonAirportinthatrole.

Themethodologyexplanationandmoredetailedfindings(includingmedianandmodevalues)

canbefoundinAppendix6Viabilityanalysis.

Implementationcostsareestimatedbasedoffexistinghumanitarianorganisationalactivities,

similartooperatingcostsinsection3.2.FurtherexplanationisprovidedinAppendix5 Cost

analysis.

ivAllcostscouldlargelybecoveredbetweenthetrainingproviderandparticipantsnotShannonAirportitself.


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Theresultsaresummarisedinthetablesbelow.Thisquantitativesummaryisfollowedbya

qualitativenarrativesummaryofstakeholderreactionstoeachoftheproposedroles.

ConfidenceCanShannonAirportadequatelyperformtherole?

Role Useraverage Manageraverage Donoraverage


1.2 1 1


1.1 1 1

3. TrainingCentre 1.6 1 24. EUCivilProtection 2.5 2.5 3

ImplementationHowmuchinvestmentisrequiredforstart-upofthisrole?

Role Implementationcosts

1. PrepositioningofReliefItems $625,000


$631,641

3. TrainingCentre $83,2104. EUCivilProtection $378,100

LikelihoodWillorganisationsuse/fundShannonAirportinthisrole?

Role Useraverage Manageraverage Donoraverage


1.8 1 1

2. PrepositioningofMedicalItems 1.1 1 1

3. TrainingCentre 2.0 1 24. EUCivilProtection 2.5 2.5 2.5

Ingeneral,potentialmanagersanddonorsdidnothaveaclearfavourableimpressionofthe

viabilityofShannonAirportinanyoftheproposedroles,noraretheylikelytoutilizeShannon

Airportiftheseroleswereestablished.OnepossibleexceptionistheEUcivilprotectionrole,in

partduetoECHOacknowledgingthatitsownpolicyanddirectioninthisareaisstilltobe

defined.Potentialuserswereslightlymoreoptimisticandmanynotedthattheywouldbe

morelikelytoutilizeShannonAirportinsuchareasasprepositioningortrainingifsomeone

elsewaspaying.

Note:ImplementationcostsforprepositioningandEUcivilprotectionrolesassumethatsetup

willinvolveuseofexistingwarehousespace.Setupcostsdonotincludecostofsupplies.

Trainingcentreimplementationcostsdonotreflectotherpotentialfundingrequirementssuch

asICTwiringorrefurbishmentofbuildingsusedforscenario-basedtraining.Moredetailed

costingwillrequirefurtherdetailingofthespecificrequirementandformalquotesfrom

commercialserviceproviders.


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3.3.1. Narrativesummaryofstakeholderreactionstoproposedroles

3.3.1.1PrepositioningofReliefItems

ContactedNGOsregularlyusedorhadatleastsomeexperiencewiththeUNHRD

prepositioningsystem.TheseorganisationshadlargelygoodthingstosayabouttheirUNHRD

interaction,mentioningafewisolatedincidents.

AmongthoseNGOsutilizingIrishAidstocksintheUNHRDsystem,twohadconcernsthatother

NGOsdictatedwhattypesofitemsIrishAidheldatthe depots,whileanothertwowere

generallyquitesatisfied,notingthatthoughtheydonothaveadirectsayinwhatisstocked,

IrishAidislearningwhatweneedandgenerallyhasitavailable.Ingeneral,allNGOs

appreciatedtheUNHRDdepotsproximitytocommondisastersitesandtheflexibilitytobe

abletosharestocksamongdifferentUNHRDusers.

NoneoftheinterviewedNGOssawaclearrationalebeyondmediaexposureforIrelandfor

usingShannonAirportasaprepositioningsite.Pointingtothehightransportationcostsof

flyingitemsfromShannonAirporttoAfricaorAsia,oneNGOstatedthattheideadoesnt

makesense.Severaloftheintervieweesstatedtheywouldbeunlikelytouseasiteat

ShannonAirportoveranexistinghublikeDubaithatwillhavecheapertransportcosts,both

outgoing(todisastersites)andincoming(restockingfromsuppliers,manyofwhicharebased

inAsia).OneNGOsaidthatitwoulduseapotentialsiteatShannonAirport,butonlyifIrishAid

oranotherdonorpaidforthetransportcosts.ThisNGOnotedthoughthatinthelongrun,

IrishAidfundingofthesetransportcostswouldresultinlesstotalfundsavailableforthehumanitarianreliefeffortadisservicetobeneficiarypopulations.

SimilartotheNGOs,UNagencieslikeUNICEF,WFP,UNHCR,andWHOdidnotseeanylogicin

locatingaprepositioningsiteinShannonAirport,againnotingtheprohibitivecostofair

transportandthepreferenceforpre-existingnetworksites.Whatlittlegapswerenoted

largelypertainedtogeographiccoverageofSoutheastAsia.Therefore,noneofthese

organisationsexpressedanyinterestinusingShannonAirportinthiscapacity.OCHAdidnot

seerealvalueintheuseofShannonandstateditgenerallyadvisedotherorganisationsto

utilizetheUNHRDnetwork.

TheUNHRDsystemexpresslystatedthatitcouldnotseearoleforShannonwithinits

network.Alongwiththeabove-mentionedconcerns,UNHRDnotedthatin2006IrishAid

requesteditopenasmallwarehouseinthemilitarycampofCurragh,storingapproximately

14-16metrictonnesofreliefitems.Afterafewyearsofnon-stockrotationandnon-operations

thesitewasclosedduetocost(lowturnovermeantlowrevenuefromservicefees).Itis

interestingtonotethattheBrindisidepot(SouthItaly),thefirstestablishedUNHRDdepot,is

changingfocusfromphysicalwarehousingtotraining,procurement,andoverallUNHRD

coordination.


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Thisshiftawayfromphysicalwarehousingreflectssimilarconsiderationsoflowturnoveranda

preferenceformoreforwardbasedsites.IFRC,managersofanotherdepotnetwork,also

statedtheysawnopotentialuseforaprepositioningsiteatShannonAirport.

ECHOexpressedthesamethoughtsasotherorganisations,pointingtoShannonAirports

distancefrompopulationscommonlyaffectedbydisasters.Moreover,ECHOwasfairly

emphaticinthatitsfundingoftheinternationalhumanitarianreliefeffortwaslookingto

reducefragmentationandimprovingcoordination.Inparticular,ECHOstatedthat,aboveall,

wewanttoavoidduplicationanduseexistingcapacitythereisnoneedtoreinventthe

wheel.ECHOcontinuedbysaying,forShannontobeinvolvedinahumanitariannetworkit

requiresabigpartnersuchasWFP,IFRC,Oxfamorothers,butnotECHO.

ECHOhasprovidedstart-upfundingfortwolargeprepositioningnetworks(UNHRDandIFRC)

thatitnowexpectstobecomeself-sustaining.ItisthereforeunlikelyforECHOtofundthe

establishmentofanadditionalhub,particularlyonethatmaynotbeabletosustainitself.

3.3.1.2PrepositioningofMedicalItems

NGOs,UNagencies,andIFRCpersonnelallpointedtoincreasingconsolidationinthe

emergencymedicalarea,primarilyduetocost,complexity,andrequiredbureaucracy(e.g.

inspections,customsapproval).Ingeneralthismeantareductioninthenumberofagencies

involvedinmedicalreliefandtheuseofexistingnetworkssuchascoldchainstorageat

UNHRD,IFRC,UNICEF,orMSFsites.Mostimportantly,severalintervieweeswerenot

convincedthatprepositioningofmedicalitemswasasattractiveaconceptastheprepositioningofotherreliefitems.Medicalstocksinactualstoragerepresentedtheminimum

necessarytocovertheinitialstagesofresponse,withthemajorityofsuppliesthenflowing

directfrompre-approvedmedicalcompanies.Humanitarianactorspreferredsuchvirtual

stocksandvendor-arrangementsduetothestoragecostandshortproductlifecycleof

medicines;inotherwords,itiseasierandcheapertoflowgoodsfromsupplierswhenturnover

oftheseexpiringitemsisloworvariable(noteveryemergencyrequiresmedicine).

Intervieweeswerenotenthusiasticaboutaddinganodetotheexistingstockpilenetwork.

Potentialusersandnetworkmanagersingeneraldisagreedwiththenotionthatproximityto

IrishmedicalcompaniesgaveShannonAirportanadvantage.Themajorityofmedicinesutilizedforinternationalhumanitarianrelief-primarilyintendedtotreatmalaria,sleeping

sickness,andwater-borneillnesses-aremadeingenericformatandaresourcedfromChina

andIndia.Intervieweesdoubtedtheabilityorwillingnessofhigh-endIrishmedicalcompanies

tocompetewiththegenericmanufacturers,andgenerallydidnotbelievetheirorganisations

wouldutilizeShannonAirportinthiscapacity.Furthercomplicatingmedicalstoragewere

variousrequirementsforcertificationandcustomsarrangement.AsoneNGOstated,

Supplyingmedicines/drugsistoocomplicatedtogetinvolvedin.Thereisnoneedformore

drugprocurement[orstaging].Potentialdonorsechoedthesesentiments.


25/39


3.3.1.3TrainingCentre

Threeoftheorganisationssurveyedusedthee-learningtrainingprovidedbytheFritz

Institute/CertifiedInstituteofLogisticsandTransport(CILT)andthetrainingeventsorganised

byWFPattheUNHRDinBrindisisuchastheLogisticsResponseTeamtraining(LRT).TheLRT

traininginBrindisiwasparticularlyvaluedbecauseofitslinkstothelogisticscluster,ofwhich

severalorganisationsweresupportive.Afeworganisationsstatedtheyoftenhandledstaff

trainingasin-houseandon-the-jobinordertosavemoney.

NGOshadasignificantlyhigheropinionofthepotentialroleofShannonAirportasatraining

centre,thoughthisopinionwasstillsomewhatcautious.Possibletrainingcouldinclude

emergencylogistics,gender-basedviolence,UNclustertraining,orexpertsdeliveringregular

lectures/courses.ThetwomaincriteriaforuseofShannonAirportinthisrolewerea)training

hadtoberelevant,andb)fundinghadtobeavailable,eitherexternallyorinternally.OneintervieweesuggestedhisorganisationwouldbemorelikelytouseShannonAirportifsome

sortofexceptionvisacouldbeusedtoeaseinternationalparticipanttravelinandoutof

ShannonAirport.Asadisadvantage,NGOsnotedthatShannonAirporttrainingonlymade

senseforEuropeanpersonnel,andthatShannonAirportwaspoorlyconnectedtoregular

transitroutes,eveninIreland.

UNagencieswerenotenthusiasticaboutatrainingcentreroleforShannon,withmany

preferringtouseexistingtrainingoptions(e.g.Fritz,WFPtraininginBrindisi)orhandletraining

internally.UNICEFnotedthatitwasbuildingatrainingandinnovationcentreatCopenhagen

modelledontheUNHRDlocationinBrindisitoprovidearangeofclassroomandsimulationlogisticstraining.Inotherareasoftraining,suchasprocurement,agenciesarepushingto

conducttrainingattheregionalandcountrylevelinordertobetterdeveloppartnercapacity.

IFRC,foritspart,hasasimilarfocusonthedevelopmentofNationalSocieties,anddidnot

expressaninterestinuseofShannonAirportasatrainingsite.

ECHOnotedthatitwasalwayssupportiveoftrainingandcapacitydevelopment,butthatitis

nolongerprovidingregular,annualfundingtosupportorganisationstrainingbudgets.Asfora

trainingroleatShannon,ECHOstatedthattraininglocationwasnotasimportantastraining

contentandalsoexpresseditsopinionthattherealreadyareplentyoftrainingsites.Any

trainingofferedatShannonAirportwouldhavetoberelevantandprovideavalue-added.

3.3.1.4EUCivilProtection

ECHOenvisagescivilprotectionastasksbeingperformedbythecivildefencecapabilitiesof

memberstates.ThisisdistinctivefromtheEEASandtheirviewofcivilprotectionastasks

beingperformedbymilitaryassetsofmemberstates 40.

ECHOdefinestheroleofcivilprotectionatEUlevelasfacilitatingcoordinationofassets,

teamsandmeanswithinandoutsidetheEU.41


26/39


Thiscoordinatedactivitywillinvolvedeploymentofpeopleandexpertteamsinresponsetoemergency,naturaldisasters,manmadedisasters,diseaseandthreats.TheexplorationofcivilprotectionattheEUlevelhasraisedthequestionDoesECHOexpandoraddcapacitytotheUNHRDnetworktoaccommodatecivilprotection,ordevelopaparallelnetwork?These

optionsareyetundecided.

Currently,theEUisengagingindiscussionsoverpossiblecaveatsinEUlegislationthatwill

developfuturerolesandfinancingarrangementsforcivilprotectionactivities.EUcivil

protectionisinitsinfancyandmostmemberstatesarenotyetfullyonboardwithcivil

protection.HoweverECHOhasindicatedthatiflegislationisadopteditwilldefinethe

implementingrulesandwillidentifywhopays.civilprotectionisatthecoreofanEUdebate

overrolesandresponsibilitiesandECHOhassaidthatthereisnotyetapoliticalconsensusfor

aformalroleandamechanismforassetstobedeployed,thisrequiresapoliticaldecision

whichhasnotbeentalkedthrough.

Whilethecoordinationroleandactivitiesarestilltobedefined,theEUstatedthatfornow,

civilprotectionassetsaremovedfromonecountrytoanotherdependingontherequirements

ofthedisaster.Inthefuture,memberstatesmayinsteadpre-positionequipment

close/proximitytocommondisasterareas,thoughthisisnotyetcertain.

ECHOwasreceptivetofurtherexploringShannonAirport,butnotedthatShannonmust

provideirresistiblefactorstoattractECHO.Onthedownside,presentlyafeelingexistswithin

ECHOthatIrishcivilprotectionmaynotbegearedforEUlevelofproposedinteraction,as

therearenonaturalflowsofcivilprotectionassetsinIreland.ECHOsimpressionsisthatthe

currentofferingofIrishcivilprotectionassetsismorerelatedtouseofIrishMilitaryassets.As

otherEUmemberstatesaremakingstrongpitchesforwarehousingfacilitiesforcivil

protection,ECHOsuggeststhatIrelandgetsinvolvedintheconversationoncivilprotection

andsupporttheideaatEUcouncil.


27/39


4 Optionsanalysis

Whatarethemainissuestoconsiderforeachroleoption?

Basedofffindingsfromtheoptionsinvestigation,thefollowingsectionanalyseseachroles

mainadvantagesanddrawbacksinrelationtothecasequestion.Thesummaryresultsare

showninthebelowtable:

Risk/

Benefit

Operate

Cost

Viability

Confidence(1-5) Implement

Costv

LikelihoodofUse(1-5)

User Mgr Donor User Mgr Donor


31% $790,522 1.2 1 1 $625,000 1.8 1 1


39% $1,196,185 1.1 1 1 $631,641 1.1 1 1

3. TrainingCentre 53% $1,675,458vi 1.6 1 2 $83,210 2.0 1 24. EUCivil

Protection57% $627,375 2.5 2.5 3 $312,500 2.5 2.5 2.5

4.1. Role1:PrepositioningofReliefItems

Itisestimatedthatthisroleonlydelivers31%ofpotentialbenefits,makingittheleast

attractiveoptionforShannonAirportanditsfacilities.Themainadvantagesofthisrolewouldbe:

Aprepositioningnodewouldhaverelativelyunrestricteduseofahighcapacityairportlocatedinasupportivelocalenvironment.

TheShannonAirportlocationwouldmeanhighervisibilityforIrelandinthehumanitarianaidsectorthoughitshouldbenotedthatthisstudyhasevaluatedShannonAirports

potentialrolesintermsofbenefits/risksforthe internationalhumanitarianreliefeffort,

notnecessarilyforanyparticularcountryoractor.

Ontheotherhand,theshortcomingsare:

AlmosteveryactorseesShannonAirportsdistancefromthemostcommondisasterresponsesitesasadisqualifyingfactor(greatertime,distance,cost)forprepositioningof

supplies,regardlessoffacilityqualities;featuressuchasrunwaylength,maintenance,and

refuellingareseenasorderqualifiersorassumedcharacteristicsofanymajorairfield.

vImplementationcostsforprepositioningandEUcivilprotectionrolesassumethatsetupwillinvolveuseofexisting

warehousespace.Setupcostsdonotincludecostofsupplies.Trainingcentreimplementationcostsdonotreflect

otherpotential funding requirements such as ICTwiring or refurbishment ofbuildings used for scenario-based

training.Moredetailedcostingwillrequirefurtherdetailingofthespecificrequirementandformalquotesfrom

commercialserviceproviders.viAllcostscouldlargelybecoveredbetweenthetrainingproviderandparticipantsnotShannonAirportitself.


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Withlowconfidence(1-1.2)andlikelihoodofuse(1-1.8),andhighimplementationcosts($625,000),potentialhumanitarianusers,managers,anddonorsdonotregardShannon

Airportasanidealsiteforthisroleandareunlikelytouse/funditinthefuture.Theyprefer

insteadtoconcentrateonexistingnetworks.

Asseeninsection3.2,deploymentcostsarenotcompetitive,withaircargocostsrangingfrom243%to389%moreexpensivethanthecheapestexistingalternative.

Implementationcostsarealsosecondmostexpensive,affectingitsviability.

Thekeyimplicationsindecidingonthisroleare:

Withlowturnoverandhencelowservicefees,aprepositioningsiteatShannonAirportisunlikelytobeself-sustainingandwouldthereforerequireregulardonorfunding.

ExpenditureonprepositioningatShannonAirportisunlikelytoleadtogainsinefficiencyorcosteffectiveness;rather,inanenvironmentoftightenedrelativefunding,itwillleadto

anoveralllowerhumanitarianresponsecapability,withlessmoneyavailableformore

efficient/effectiveprepositioningnetworks.

Puttingcostsinperspective

Inresponsetothe2010Haitiearthquakeamajorinternationalhumanitarianorganization

providedastandardfive-personfamilypackageofblankets,hygienekits,mosquitonets,and

otheritemswithatotalcostofaround$170.Usingthisfigure,ShannonAirportsestimated

start-upandannualoperatingcostsrepresent3,676and4,650familykitsrespectively.

AirtransportfromShannonAirportcostsanestimated389%morethantransportfromthe

mostcostefficientlocation,Panama.Usinganestimateof170tonnes(thefigureprovidedby

IrishAidtotheHaitiresponseoutofitsUNHRDstocks),theadditionalcostofusingShannon

Airportrepresentstheequivalentof2,639familykits.

Intotal,start-upandjustoneyearofoperationofShannonAirportasaprepositioningsite

witharesponsetoanoperationsuchastheHaitiearthquakewouldcosttheequivalentofaid

tonearly11,000families,or55,000people.Therefore,fundingforShannonAirportasa

prepositioningsitecouldhaveamuchlargerimpactwhenappliedelsewhere,suchastheexistingprepositioningnetworks.

Costs Familykitequivalent Peopleassistedequivalent

Start-up $625,000 3,676 18,380

Annualoperating $790,522 4,650 23,250

TransportShannon $563,890

TransportPanama $115,260

Transportdifference $448,630 2,639 13,195

TOTAL 10,965 54,825


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4.2. Role2:PrepositioningofMedicalItems

Itisestimatedthatthisroleonlydelivers39%ofpotentialbenefitsmakingitthesecondleast

attractiveoptionforShannonAirportanditsfacilities.Themainadvantagesofthisrolewould

be: Aprepositioningnodewouldhaverelativelyunrestricteduseofahighcapacityairport

locatedinasupportivelocalenvironment.

ShannonAirportsproximitytomedicalindustryleaderscouldimprovesuppliercollaboration.


ShannonAirportsdistancefromthemostcommondisasterresponsesitesremainsaninhibitingfactor,asdoesitsdistancefromexistingsuppliersofhumanitarianactorsthat

dealwithmedicalitems.

Withlowconfidence(1-1.1)andlikelihoodofuse(1-1.1),potentialhumanitarianusers,managers,anddonorsdonotregardShannonAirportasanidealsiteforthisroleandare

unlikelytouse/funditinthefuture.Whilethesesurveyresultsareinpartduetothefact

thatmanystakeholdersdonotnormallydealwithmedicalitems,thosethatdospecialize

inmedicalreliefpreferinsteadtoconcentrateonexistingnetworks.

Moreimportantly,potentialusersandnetworkmanagersareincreasinglyutilizingframeworkagreementsandvirtualstocksinplaceofphysicallyprepositionedstocksdue

tohighcostandlowturnover.

Annualoperatingcostsforthisrolemakeitthemostexpensiveoption,consideringthatrole3soperatingcostscanbebornebyexternalparties.Highstoragecostsmakealternativearrangements,suchasvendormanagedinventory,moreattractive.The

perspectiveoncostoutlinedinsection4.1,notingthatfundscanbemoreusefullyspent

elsewhere,appliesevenmoresowithrespecttotheprepositioningofmedicalitems.

TwothirdsofallmedicinesaregenericandsuppliedbyChinaandIndiadirectlytoaffectedsites,largelynegatingthepotentialadvantagesofShannonAirportsproximitytoIrish

medicalcompanies.

Supplyingmedicinestohumanitarianorganisationsrequirescertification(WHO/ECHO),addingtimeandcosttoimplementation.

Asseeninsection3.2,deploymentcostsarenotcompetitive,withaircargocostsrangingfrom243%to389%moreexpensivethanthecheapestexistingalternative.


Withlowturnoverandhencelowservicefees,theprepositioningofmedicalitemsatShannonAirportisunlikelytobeself-sustainingandwouldthereforerequireregulardonor

funding.

ShannonAirportwouldneedtobecertifiedasaHPCbeforeanymedicalsupplieswillbeacceptedbyWHO.


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ExpenditureonprepositioningatShannonAirportisunlikelytoleadtogainsinefficiencyorcost-effectiveness;rather,inanenvironmentoftightenedrelativefunding,itwillleadto

anoveralllowerhumanitarianresponsecapability,withlessmoneyavailableformore

efficient/effectiveprepositioningnetworks.

4.3. Role3:TrainingCentre

Itisestimatedthatthebenefitsoutweightherisksofthisrole(53%benefit),butonly

marginally.Themainadvantagesofthisrolewouldbe:

AneutraltrainingcentreatShannonAirportcouldappealtoawidevarietyofhumanitarianactors,includingNGOS,UNagencies,clusters,andothers.

WhilethesetrainingoptionswouldnotnecessarilytakeadvantageoftheexplicitaviationservicesofferedbyShannonAirport,theywouldbenefitfromampleroomandflexibility

(suchasinhangarsandrunways)aswellasthecontrolledenvironmentofferedbyanairport(e.g.setperimeters,security).

Thetrainingproviderand/orparticipantswilllargelycoverannualexpenses,potentiallymakingthisroletheleastexpensiveoption.

EUisexaminingtrainingrequirementsforvolunteercorps,whichmayprovideadditionalattractivenessforShannonAirportastrainingcentre.

Dependingonthetrainingmanager,servicescanbeofferedonanad-hocbasis,makingthisroleattractivetothosereluctanttobelockedintofundingcommitments.


ManyhumanitarianactorsseeShannonAirportsdistancefrommajorcommercialtrafficroutesasinconvenientforparticipanttravel.

ShannonAirportslocationseemsredundanttoestablishedtrainingcentresinEuropeandcountertotrendsofgreaterfocusonlocaltraininginAfricaandAsia.

Beyondthephysicalspaceandcontrolofferedbytheairport,trainingcourseswouldnotutilizetheaviationrelatedcapabilitiesofShannonAirport,meaningtheairportdoesnot

presentaclearanduniquevalueproposition.

Thoughamongstthethreespecificallyhumanitarianoptionsatrainingcentrerolehasthehighestlikelihoodofuse/funding(1-2.0),thislikelihoodisstillquitelowoverall.Many

existinghumanitariantrainingproviders/managersdonotregardShannonAirportasan

idealsiteforthisroleanditdoesnotappearthereislargeinterestoravailablefundingfor

anothertraininglocationorcentreofexcellence.

ThislackofinterestinturnmaymakeitdifficulttoattractatrainingprovidertoutilizeandmarketShannonAirporttopotentialtrainingparticipants.


EstablishmentofatrainingcentreatShannonAirportwouldrequireanentityeitherhumanitarianorcommercialentitytohosttrainingservicesandattractparticipants

(payingcustomers).


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StakeholdersforthedevelopmentofahumanitarianroleforShannonAirportwouldneedtofocustheireffortsinattractinganexternaltrainingprovidertousetheairport.

Start-upcosts(e.g.investmentinICT)wouldrequireinternalinvestmentatShannonAirportorexternalfunding.Operationalcostsfortrainingwouldlargelybeborneby

trainingparticipantsandtheirhostorganisations.Becausepotentialclientorganisationsdo

notcurrentlyshowlargeeagernessfortrainingservicesatShannonAirport,someannual

costswouldneedtobecovered.Itisunclearwhatorganisationwithinoroutsideof

Irelandwouldbewillingtocovertheseannualcosts.ECHO,forexample,viewsregular

trainingfundsastheresponsibilityoforganisationsthemselves.Therefore,thelongterm

sustainabilityofatrainingcentreatShannonAirportisquestionable.

4.4. Role4:EUCivilProtection

Itisestimatedthatthisroledelivers57%ofpossiblebenefits,makingitthemostattractiveoptionforShannonAirportanditsfacilities.However,itshouldbenotedthatwithintheIrish

contextcivilprotectionfallsoutsideoftheremitofIrishAidandislocatedwithinthe

DepartmentofEnvironment,CommunityandLocalGovernment 42.Withinthehumanitarian

space,civilprotectionisseenasbeingoutsideofthefunctionofhumanitarianorganisations 43.

Nevertheless,themainadvantagesofthisrolewouldbe:

Aprepositioningcivilprotectionnodewouldhaverelativelyunrestricteduseofasecure,highcapacityairportlocatedinasupportivelocalenvironmentwithco-located3PLs,

offeringincreasedresponsivenessandflexibilityovermorecongestedalternativesin

Europe.

ShannonAirportsperipheral,neutrallocationcanofferbenefitsforcertainscenariossuchaspoliticaldisputes,contaminationofhighdensitypopulationareasonContinent.

Thisrolehasthehighestratingsforconfidence(2.5-3)andlikelihoodofuse(2.5),inpartbecauseECHOhasnotyetdefineditspolicydirectioninthecivilprotectionarea.Atthe

veryleast,roomexistsforfurtherexplorationofthisrole.

Thisrolehasthesecondloweststart-upcosts($378,100),strengtheningitsviability. Annualoperatingcosts($627,000)arepotentiallythesecondlowestofallfouroptions.

Ontheotherhand,theshortcomingsare: TraveltoShannonAirportsperipherallocationmightbeinconvenientorcostlyfor

MemberStatecivilprotectionunits

ShannonAirportslocationmakesitsdeploymentcoststocommonEUcivilprotectionsites47%to150%moreexpensivethanotherpotentialsites.

WhileECHOson-goingclarificationofitscivilprotectionpolicyallowsroomforapossibleroleforShannonAirport,itcanalsoeasilyleaveroomfornon-ShannonAirport

alternatives:ad-hocarrangementsorwarehousinginothermemberstatesmoredeeply

involvedinEUcivilprotectionpolicydecision-making.


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AcivilprotectionsiteatShannonAirportisunlikelytobeself-sustainingandwillthereforerequireregulardonorfunding.

EstablishmentofacivilprotectionsiteatShannonAirportwillrequiregreaterIrishpoliticalinvolvementinpolicydecision-makingandadvocacyeffortsatECHOandEUlevels.


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5 Recommendation

Whatisthebestrole,ifany,forShannonAirport?

Thisfeasibilitystudyaddressesthequestion: IstherearoleforShannonAirportandits

facilitiesintheinternationalhumanitarianreliefeffort?

FourofthemostlikelyroleswereconsideredforShannonAirport.Twooftheserolesrelateto

prepositioningofhumanitarianrelieformedicalitems.Theseroles,franklyput,donotadd

valuetotheinternationalhumanitarianreliefeffort.DespiteShannonAirportsinherent

qualities,itslocationfarawayfromlikelydisastersitesdoesnotfitintothehumanitarian

sectorslogicandtrendsthatseektominimizetraveltimeandcostduringresponsestonatural

andman-madedisasters.Nor,onthemedicalside,doesitreflecttrendsofconsolidationand

minimizationofon-handphysicalstock.Costsofsettingupandimplementingtheserolesare

alsosignificantandlikelytorequiresustainedfundingfromdonorsformanyyearstocome.

ShannonAirportwouldalsopresentsignificantlyhighertransportationcoststhanexisting

sites.

Fortheseandotherreasonspotentialdonors,usersandmanagerswerequiteexplicitin

statingtheirlackofinterestinShannonAirportasahumanitarianprepositioningsite.Shannon

Airportdoesnotpresentasuperioralternativetoexistingsitesandtrendsandisunlikelytobe

fundedorusedinahumanitarianprepositioningfunction. Thisstudythereforerecommendsagainstthedevelopmentofroles1and2. Itisadvisedthatstakeholdersintenton

establishingahumanitarianroleforShannonAirportmoveawayfromalogistics-centric

approach.

Role3,ShannonAirportasatrainingcentre,rankedslightlyhigherthantheprepositioning

roles.Asaneutralsitewithcapabilitiessimilartothoseofferedbythecentreofexcellencein

Brindisi,ShannonAirportdoespresentcertainstrengthsasapotentialtrainingsite.It

potentiallyisalsothecheapestofthefourconsideredoptions.Yetalotofuncertainty

surroundsthisrole:whattypesoftrainingwouldbeofferedtowhombywhomandwhowould

fund?Donoranduserinterestinthisrole,thoughslightlyhigherthantheprepositioningoptions,isneverthelessfairlylimited.

ShannonAirportwouldfinditselfintheuncomfortablepositionofmarketingShannonAirport

toatrainingproviderwhointurnwouldmarketitsservicestopotentialtrainingparticipants,

allinanenvironmentoflowdemandandlackofclarityonservicesrequired.

Furthermore,trainingprovidersliketheUNHRDinBrindisi,UNICEFinCopenhagen,and

academicinstitutionsalreadyexistascompetitorsandShannonAirportdoesnotappearto

offeraclearuniqueserviceprovisionfortrainingthatdistinguishesitselfamongstthisfield.


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Whileitistruethatthehumanitarianindustrywouldcertainlybenefitfromclearercareer

pathsandtrainingopportunitiesforitsstaff,itisnotclearthathumanitarianactorsfavour

establishmentofmoretrainingsitesorinsteadpreferrefinementorexpansionofexisting

traininginstitutionstohistoricallyunderservedregionalandlocalareasinAfricaandAsia.

Atanyrate,inanenvironmentoftighteningandconsolidatingefforts,attractingtraining

providersandparticipantstoanewsitewouldbedifficult.IfShannonAirportmustbeutilized

inahumanitarianrole,atrainingcentreismorefeasiblethanahumanitarianprepositioning

site.Ultimately,however,thisstudydidnotfindstrongargumentstorecommendrole3and

thereforedoesnotpresentlyseearoleforShannonAirportthataddsclearvaluetothe

internationalhumanitarianreliefeffort.

However,thisstudydoesprovideapotentialopeningforrole4,EUcivilprotection.

Asnoted,civilprotectiondoesnotspecificallyfallundertheremitofhumanitarianrelief,but

wasstillconsideredaspartofthisstudy.Aportionoftheattractivenessofrole4isduetothe

factthattheEUhasnotyetmadedecisionsregardingcivilprotectionpolicy,includingthe

fundingandestablishmentofacivilprotectionhub.ShannonAirporthasseveralclear

strengthsforperformingfuturepotentialfunctionsinthisfield.Forexample,itsperipheral,

neutrallocationcouldbehighlyusefulforcertaintypesofresponsestotheEuropean

Continentwhileitshighflexibilityandlackofcongestionmightstrengthenitscaserelativeto

othersitessuchasFrankfurtorParis.Perhapsmostimportantly,thepotentialuseranddonor

(ECHO)isopentofurtherexploringanddiscussingthisroleforShannonAirportdepending

uponpolicydecisionsthatshouldbemadebytheendof2013. Inshort,thoughstilluncertain,

role4presentsthemostviablechoiceandthisstudythereforerecommendsShannonAirportfocusitseffortstoexplorethefullpotentialofitsroleinEUcivilprotection.

Follow-onactionsforthisroleinclude:

CoordinateIrishGovernmentinternalstakeholderstoconsolidateneeds,resourcesandstrategy,suchastheDepartmentoftheEnvironment,CommunityandLocalGovernment.

ActiveIrishGovernmentinvolvementatEUlevelforcivilprotectionpolicymaking. ActivemarketingofShannonAirportandfacilitiesascivilprotectioncentreatEUlevel.


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Documents

Shannon Airport Feasibility Study Report 2012-10-02