On another issue the airport will have to abandon its single shift strategy if it is to expand further particularly if it wants to attract a service to Heathrow or Schiphol.
Totally agree with this - if Knock has aspirations then it is going to need to expand its operating hours, no question. The reports (if I recall them correctly) that Knock turned down better timed London flights from Ryanair due to cost savings required in terms of opening hours are not encouraging.
I personally believe that TA is a red herring. Knock could probably sustain a limited service, but it should not be the priority. If we are seeing any trend in recent years it is that the requirement is for better global connections from Irish airports is of far more importance than limited services to the North American market.
Knock's main priorities should be better timed London flights and decent links, either by codeshare or directly with an airline, to a European hub. I have heard quite a few stories of people coming home from Australia/NZ, flying to Heathrow and then traipsing across London to fly from Stansted to Knock, or else flying into Dublin. Huge potential for growth in these areas. TA should be behind both of these in terms of priority in my opinion. You can always connect via a hub to the US as well, as thousands do from Ireland each year.
As for Varadkar meddling in airport negotiations, this is poor form but not surprising. I can't imagine he gives a toss about Knock and he is, in general, a largely useless politician. There are a few others in his cabinet team who should be setting him straight though, including his boss.