Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the representatives from Virgin Atlantic. The substantial issue is our national airline, our airports, the Irish economy in general and how we can attract business. There is a related connectivity aspect and, naturally, we must consider the competitive nature of the airline business and the good of the Irish consumer. I am very much aware of the needs of people who wish to travel to this country because of our tourism industry.

The witness mentioned the hub issue with regard to Dublin. If we are talking about becoming a major hub in world aviation, one may need to take account of Shannon, Cork and Knock as well as Dublin. The regional airports would also feed into the system. The precedent has been set in the Persian Gulf states and we can see the success of those major hubs in Abu Dhabi and elsewhere in the oil-rich states for the Atlantic trade and connectivity with America, Europe, Australia and Asia. We should go down that route.

It is good to hear the witnesses' concerns but I am in favour of an independent analysis. Perhaps the Government should seek the opinion of aviation experts, if they exist, who would be totally independent. Perhaps we could find three people who have been involved with the industry and who have much experience to give us an overview of what would be good for Ireland. They could advise us on IAG possibly taking over Aer Lingus and what would be good all round. We are a small island. I respect the view of the witnesses but we must consider the bigger picture. Policies are changing and we must be very careful that EU policy would not be geared towards the big players of Germany and France. That will influence American policies and they would probably link to this.