Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Nolan for a clear and impressive presentation.

The facts presented suggest the industry is in a healthy state and I am not trying to block its movement.

I apologise on behalf of Deputy Dessie Ellis, who also has responsibility for housing and is manfully debating housing legislation in the Dáil Chamber. If some of my questions betray ignorance of the topic, it is because I do not normally handle this subject. I do not see how Ms Nolan gets the time to do all of this. She is an assistant professor in Trinity College. Can she tell me something about the board and how many people are on it? How much of her time does this take from her and other board members?

The IAA covers Shannon, Dublin and Cork. What are the criteria used to limit the airports within the scope of the IAA? There must be some measurable criteria but I do not understand what it is. I would have thought Ireland West Airport Knock is a candidate airport for inclusion.

My criticism concerns how domestic flights within Ireland are organised. For someone who wants to travel from the south or west to Dublin, the biggest seller is that one can get there faster by plane than by train. However, if someone has to join a queue for two hours on the return journey to go through security, the value of internal flights is lost. Would Sligo Airport have closed if those taking flights could be assured they could be in Dublin Airport half an hour before the flight time? I do not believe Sligo Airport would have closed if there was an efficient movement of people for internal flights. I am not saying I know how to solve the problem but I believe traffic numbers would have been improved if that efficiency was possible between Sligo and Dublin.

The IAA also covers civil aviation but I am not sure what non-civil aviation involves. I presume it means military aviation.