Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My apologies, Chairman, for not being here but I had to attend two other meetings. As a local Deputy for the area I have a keen interest in this issue. It is one on which I have focused since becoming a public representative. The main players are present this morning.

This Bill is very important for the future of Shannon Airport and I am delighted that this committee is discussing it. We hope the Bill will be brought forward some time early in the new year but much work has been done and many of the parts have been put into place. I will go through the transcript of the meeting when it is published. What has happened in the airport during the past two years, particularly the past 12 months, has been very important. We need to consider not only the airport but, as was discussed, the Shannon free zone and the greenfield site, and a good deal of work needs to be done in that area. It was designed in the 1960s and 1970s for manufacturing and the buildings are now outdated. Therefore, a good deal of work needs to be done there.

I am confident with the management and team in place, led by Mr. Neil Pakey, CEO of the Shannon Airport Authority, that we can attract aviation-related industries into the region. That is key to the development of Shannon Airport into the future. There are 20 or 30 companies there but much more could be done as we move forward and as the aviation industry changes. There is a new focus in the industry and with the airlines and in this context Shannon can be a hub for the east and the west as we move forward. I support what is happening. I work with the airport authority, as do all the local public representatives, and Shannon Chamber does its bit, as do the other players who were here this morning.

We are on their side. We will ensure Shannon Airport works in conjunction with the Chairman's local airport, Knock Airport, which was also mentioned. I am always of the impression that the airports on the western seaboard should be working together. That is particularly relevant now that €8 million is being pumped into the wild Atlantic trail to have signposting, etc., ready for next year. Airports like Shannon and Knock will be of strategic importance in the context of that route, which will be publicised all over the world. We can all take a piece out of that. While I am not suggesting that Shannon Airport owns the transatlantic business, there is no doubt that it is of great importance for the mid-west. According to a poll that was conducted by RED C last year, between 30% and 40% of tourists who access this country through Shannon Airport stay on the west coast. That is extremely important for Mayo, Donegal, Galway, Kerry and west Cork.