John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have seen at first hand the development of Ireland West Airport. Some of my family worked there in a voluntary capacity on the famous day in the 1985 when it opened. We are not just speaking about an airport in County Mayo which is located less than 20 minutes away from where some of us live, but also a region stretching from Donegal to Galway, Westmeath, Longford and Cavan that has been successfully served by the airport. Since I was first elected I have attempted to facilitate engagement between the airport and the Government. Part of that engagement was arranging for the witnesses to appear before this committee but I did not realise the timing of our meeting would be so topical.

The witnesses have stated that the announcement made on Monday will adversely affect Knock. What needs to be put in place at this stage? They have outlined measures that can provide the support they need to overcome the disadvantages they now face. Can they give an indication of the level of subsidy provided to Shannon over the past two to three years and the extent of its losses over the same period? What was the extent of the losses suffered by Knock over the past two to three years and what level of subsidy did it receive from the Government? It is phenomenal that the airport's business grew by 11% in 2011 and 5% in 2012 given the current context for the aviation industry. Can figures be provided for the other airports during the same period? Have the other airports lost numbers in those years?