The Government expects to receive a comprehensive report on connectivity for Shannon airport next week, Tánaiste Brian Cowen said yesterday. Patsy McGarryreports.
An interdepartmental group to examine the issue was set up by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern this week to examine the issue.
Mr Cowen told participants at the Humbert School in Ballina that a report from the group was expected in time for Wednesday's first meeting of the Cabinet since the summer holidays.
The interdepartmental group is looking at the likely impact on the mid-west region of the loss of four Aer Lingus Shannon- Heathrow slots from next January, as well as broader issues of regional development in the area.
Mr Cowen, the most senior Government figure to speak publicly on the Shannon issue to date, said a Government buy-out of two Aer Lingus slots at Heathrow, currently on lease to other airlines, may not be practical.
One would not be available for a year and the other would not be available for three years, he said, while the times at which both would be available would not compensate for the loss of the existing four Shannon-Heathrow slots.
Ballina Fianna Fáil TD Dara Colleary had proposed at the school on Thursday night that the Government should buy out the two slots.
Mr Cowen said the Government's emphasis would be on seeing whether other international carriers could be attracted to Shannon.
As regards the apparent defiance of the Government stance on Aer Lingus's decision to move its four Heathrow slots to Belfast by Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea, Mr Cowen said his Cabinet colleague was "in fairness, reflecting local concerns".
He expected that next week's Cabinet meeting would endorse a collective decision behind the Minister with immediate responsibility for the matter, Noel Dempsey. As regards the proposed egm of the Aer Lingus board, he said the Government would wait to see whether it happened, and if it did, what resolutions it might come up with.
In his column in today's Irish Times, former taoiseach Dr Garret FitzGerald said the Government had a duty to support the Aer Lingus management at the egm "however unfortunate" may be the closure of the Shannon-Heathrow route.
The Minister said the Government's concern was "to see how we can move forward on Shannon, and what it has to face". He said the policies of open skies presented a lot of opportunities for Shannon. Already such policies had produced "a significant increase in traffic at the airport".