A Government decision on a new terminal for Dublin International Airport is set to be delayed another week as the debate continues over the most suitable site for the development.
The Cabinet is due to meet next week but sources indicated last night the Dublin Airport terminal issues were not likely to be on the agenda.
A decision on Aer Lingus is also unlikely.
The decision by the McNamara building firm to propose its own terminal project for the west side of the airport has complicated the debate at Government level.
McNamara has formed the Terminal West group which is proposing to build a terminal that ultimately could cater for 60 million passengers.
The site involved sits between the current Dublin airport runway and the proposed new northern runway.
According to a proposal presented to the Department of Transport and the Dublin Airport Authority, "the proposal will cost half as much as a similar project in the existing airport area".
McNamara promises to have its facility ready by November 2008.
McNamara is joined in the project by consulting engineers Sir Frederick Snow and Partners and civil and structural engineering firm O'Connor Sutton Cronin.
McNamara points to its successful involvement in the building of the six-bay terminal extension to Dublin airport five years ago.
"This section of a complex €114 million contract was completed in 16 months with the limitation of building within the confines of a busy existing airport," says the submission given to the Department of Transport.
At this stage, the Government is essentially faced with three sites:
the north apron site on land that is currently owned by the Dublin Airport Authority;
the Hunstown site owned by the McEvaddy brothers;
the Terminal West site also to the west of the existing terminal.
Siptu is still giving strong support to the McEvaddy brothers' proposal, although the union's president Jack O'Connor says its first preference is for the Dublin Airport Authority to get the contract for the proposed new terminal.
There were also indications this week the Government may not earmark any site and instead may simply put a contract for a terminal at the airport out to tender.
