Tony Mulcahy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate Ms Hynes and I pledge my support to the Shannon project. I have lived in the town for 35 years and I have watched the decline of the airport as it has occurred dramatically during the past ten years. I fully agree with Ms Hynes that the challenges are global, but they bring global opportunities as well. I take advice from a friend of mine on the aviation industry. He has informed me that there is a good deal of opportunity abroad, and my questions centre on this issue. One problem is that in general we tend to focus on passenger numbers and the numbers coming through the airport. There is no question that these numbers are important, but the Shannon project is about greater proposals, and I call on Ms Hynes to address some of these.

Deputy O'Donnell has probably hit the nail on the head in his question about a vision for where we should be in five years' time. Specifically, will Ms Hynes comment on the aviation overhaul and maintenance industry and where she envisages it will be? Where will the aircraft leasing and support industry be? What will feature in the growth of industry and the industrial estates in the area? What role will the IDA and Enterprise Ireland play? Will they have a direct involvement in the board? I believe that could be important.

Deputy Breen raised the issue of expansion of the pre-clearance passenger and cargo facilities. How does Ms Hynes envisage these coming together? I believe all of these issues are more important than passenger numbers, because these areas are where the real job growth lies. If Ms Hynes delivered an increase of 10% in jobs in the industrial estate that would be an extra 900 jobs, but if there were a 10% increase in jobs in the airport that would represent only 23 more jobs. It stands to reason that we should concentrate on the industrial base and where we can tie into it. We have a considerable aviation base at the moment but we need to take on the international challenges.