Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We have not mentioned the State's shareholding thus far, which is 25.1%. That is significant in terms of the taxpayer because it has a value of approximately €300 million. It is our job to protect that and to put forward our own opinions on the proposal, having listened to all sides. I see an airline that is growing steadily and delivering. That is the way forward. Some people are of the opinion that an airline must make massive leaps forward to be successful. They suggest that smaller airlines must join forces with larger ones because consolidation is the way of the future. I do not necessarily agree with that. I believe that we should be taking steady steps, which we have done over the years. The airline has steadily grown to 11 million passengers. It is not the biggest airline in the world but it is making steady progress. Representatives from the tourism and hotel industries have told us that the airline is successful in that regard.