Ms Gina Quin:

If we are going to be successful in exporting to emerging markets in India and China, we need to have good connections into those markets. Every time Irish business owners leave their premises to develop exports and to make connections with clients in export markets, the time wasted transferring through airports across the globe is time in which they are not minding their business or their clients. Therefore, connectivity is very important.

My third point concerns tourists. Every flight that connects into Ireland has the potential to bring in tourists and often, the cheapest flights on the aeroplane are occupied by tourists. Ireland's ambition over the next ten years is to increase the number of tourists by 25%. This could add €5 billion to the economy and create 250,000 jobs, which is not insignificant. Therefore, this is key.