Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Thompson for his presentation. We had Aer Lingus Regional, which is Stobart Air, before the committee. Their representatives did not seem to have any concerns. The company has an eight- to ten-year agreement with Aer Lingus. In the past ten to 15 years, has Virgin Atlantic decided to provide a service to Irish people in any of the airports in Ireland in order to provide competition? I am in business myself and I know that the more people are involved in a sector, the more competition there is. If Virgin Atlantic is worried about Irish people, has it considered providing a service, for example, from Dublin Airport or Knock airport in order to introduce more competition to the market? The airport at Knock was wide open for new business. The same is true of Shannon and Cork airports. We are worried about competition.