A Dublin farmer is seeking to cash in on the boom in executive air travel. Mr Michael McBennett, who is well known in IFA circles, proposes to build a £5 million aircraft and helicopter terminal on lands he owns beside Casement aerodrome in Baldonnel.

Mr McBennett forecasts that initially the new terminal would handle between 10 and 20 flights per day, each carrying up to 20 passengers. He is to lodge a planning application for outline permission with South Dublin County Council next week.

The proposed development would entail securing access to the Air Corps' runways and other facilities at Baldonnel. Mr McBennett claimed last night that the existing facilities at the aerodrome are under-utilised.

He said there was an increasing number of multinational companies locating in south and west Dublin and he hoped to exploit this.

The proposed executive terminal would be located about two miles to the west of the military terminal at Baldonnel and would be linked with the main runway via a specially built taxi-way across land controlled by the Department of Defence.

Mr McBennet said he has had initial discussions with the Department which had no objection in principal to the application. The application seeks permission for a terminal and aircraft maintenance facility of 20,000 square feet and for apron and aircraft parking surfaces of 330,000 square feet on a 30-acre site at Westmanstown, Blundelstown and Greenogue, Co Dublin. It would be accessed by a new link road to be built at the junction of College Lane and Tay Lane at Rathcoole.

Mr McBennett said he envisaged having a role in running the terminal and did not foresee a problem raising money for the project.

He and his family own about 160 acres in the area and farm about 1,000 acres, some of which is leased.