The owners of an aircraft that flew a "Thank you, Bertie" banner over Croke Park during the closing ceremony of the Special Olympics have refused to reveal the identify of the individual who chartered the aircraft.
Mr Robby Garland, assistant manager at the Leixlip-based National Flight Centre, which owns the aircraft and prepared the banner, said there was "no story" behind the identity of the individual who paid €450 for the banner.
"The person has no political background. It was a last-minute thing. We don't want to name the person because they didn't realise it would blow up like this," Mr Garland said.
Fianna Fáil said it did not pay for the aircraft, which was seen by tens of thousands of spectators in Croke Park, while the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, also told the Dáil this week he did not know who chartered the aircraft.
The two-seater aircraft, piloted by Mr John Devenny of the National Flight Centre, took off from Weston Airport, Leixlip, Co Kildare, at about 9.30 p.m. last Sunday evening and landed at around 10.15 p.m.
Mr Garland said he believed the decision of the individual to charter the aircraft was motivated by good will rather than in an attempt to embarrass Mr Ahern, who was booed by a section of the crowd at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics.
"We'll put up anything as long as it doesn't defame anyone. The motivation for this was good will, I think, and thanking him for the Olympics. Whether that is true or not is another matter. It was something done in innocence, I feel," Mr Garland said.
The National Flight Centre itself has denied hiring the aircraft, while the owner of Weston airport, Mr Jim Mansfield, said he did not know anything about it.
"I have no idea who was involved. I was amazed to see it happen . . . I know aerial ads are done often on Sundays for matches and so on, but this was far different to a match," Mr Mansfield said.
The former Fianna Fáil TD, Mr Liam Lawlor, who lives close to the airport, also said he did not know who had hired the aircraft.
The decision to fly the banner drew criticism from Opposition leaders in the Dáil this week, who asked whether Mr Ahern knew anything about the hiring of the aircraft.
Mr Ahern told the Dáil: "I know absolutely nothing about the aeroplane over Croke Park, good, bad, or indifferent."
When asked by the Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, if it would be of interest to the Taoiseach to find out where the aircraft came from, Mr Ahern said: "It would."
