Cork and Shannon airports must remain part of Aer Rianta, according to MANDATE, the company's second-largest union. The union, which represents 500 staff at airport shops in Dublin and Cork, says that these are continuing to trade successfully, despite the abolition of duty-free, and should not be sold.
"Clearly the company needs additional money to fund expansion of facilities and develop services," said Mr Brendan Archbold, a MANDATE national official.
He said the union had made it clear to the Government that it would "vigorously oppose any attempts to break the company up".