Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today refused to give a date for a decision on a second terminal at Dublin Airport after he was repeatedly quizzed on the issue in the Dail.
Opposition leaders accused the Government of being in "a state of total paralysis" in relation to the matter which was discussed at the weekly Cabinet meeting today.
Mr Ahern said the airport was currently operating under capacity and a second terminal was needed by 2009 and the Pier D extension by 2007.
"When the Government has finalised the best mechanism of doing that, we will announce all of the detail and we will do that shortly," he said.
Recent EU security audits carried at the airport led to lengthy queues as management installed stricter controls.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said he agreed with Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary that the Government had been dithering on the issue for over six years.
"On the issue of the national airline, Aer Lingus and a second terminal, the Government appears to be in a state of total paralysis," he said.
He claimed Former Public Enterprise Minister Mary O'Rourke had called for extra capacity as far back as 1999 and that former Transport Minister Seamus Brennan had promised a decision by early 2003.
"The future of the country is in many ways dependent on what is going to happen here," he added.
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte also implored Mr Ahern to make a decision on the matter.
Referring to weekend speculation on a third terminal being built, he asked: "Are you seriously telling this house that where the first terminal manifestly doesn't work, and the second terminal cannot be agreed, that you're going to build a third terminal?
"You'll end up building a terminal for every PD TD."
"The whole thing is going on for about six years but for three years you have been incapable of making a decision.
"You stand up in the House and tell that there's capacity for 20 million and since we've only reached 17m there's plenty of space for everyone to queue into the night.
"Yourself and the Tanaiste are happy that people have to queue interminably to egress this country."
A Government spokesperson confirmed the terminal issue was discussed at the Cabinet meeting this morning but no decision was reached. It was also discussed at a meeting between the Taoiseach, the Tanaiste Mary Harney and Transport Minister Martin Cullen but they felt that further discussion was needed.