The request by the Aer Lingus chief executive, Mr Willie Walsh, to be allowed develop an investment proposal for the airline will, as it is no doubt intended to do, force the Government to address the issue of the future ownership of the national carrier. Regardless of what happens now, Mr Walsh is to be applauded for that at least.
By failing to deal with the question of ownership, the Government has hampered long-term planning at the airline. More significantly, it has left itself in danger of missing an opportunity to explore the full range of options running from partial sale to full privatisation.
It is afforded this luxury because Aer Lingus is something of a rarity: a profitable state-owned European airline. Much of the credit for this goes to Mr Walsh and his team, who along with the company's staff transformed the airline from a state of near bankruptcy in 2001. But the aviation industry is notoriously cyclical and when conditions deteriorate Aer Lingus's options will narrow.
Government sources have indicated that Mr Walsh and his colleagues would only be given the go-ahead as part of a wider process that would see other options considered. The board of the airline - as distinct from the three executives - has already proposed a stock market flotation, that would be preceded by the placement of shares in the airline with investment institutions. Numerous other permutations are possible, including investment by another airline. All of these should be thoroughly explored.
There is no certainty that the Government will accede to Mr Walsh's request. Union leaders have already indicated that they will oppose privatisation of the airline. There are a considerable number of the Government's own backbenchers and some in Cabinet who would not be comfortable with the sale of Aer Lingus. The historic association of Aer Lingus with the national flag still lingers.
Against this there are a number of arguments that can be made in favour, not least the €500 million or so that could flow to the Exchequer. Those in Cabinet with long memories will also see the attraction of ending the cycle of State rescues of the airline.
But ultimately the question that has to be addressed - and the one which has been ducked by the Government to date - is whether there remains a long-term strategic or economic argument for the State to own an airline. The success of Ryanair indicates that private enterprise can fulfil this function in a way and at a price that most customers and employees find acceptable, if at times unpleasant.