Pádraig Ó Céidigh (Independent) | Oireachtas source

That is very unfortunate. The late Mr. O'Byrne White used to be CEO of CityJet. He was a great guy.

I would like the committee to write a letter of congratulations to Eamonn Brennan, the former chief executive officer of the Irish Aviation Authority, who held that position for 15 or 16 years. He has been appointed director general of Eurocontrol, which is an incredibly significant position. That is an indication of the quality and calibre of people in the Irish Aviation Authority and that what they are doing on behalf of the country is recognised worldwide. Eurocontrol is one of the main aviation structures worldwide and, if it were appropriate for the Vice Chairman to propose it, it would be fitting if the committee would do that.

To get into some of the detail, Shanwick air space in the north Atlantic was negotiated during the time Eamonn Brennan was CEO of the IAA. It covers 90% of transatlantic flights and is very important air space for Ireland and the aviation authority for a host of reasons.

I understand that Mr. McGrail does not have his feet under the table yet, but when he does, will he provide us with some written feedback on the status of that? I ask him to outline some of the issues that could arise in the context of Brexit. This was previously British air space but was transferred to Irish air space a number of years ago. To call a spade a spade, it is a significant income earner for the IAA. In 2017, the authority contributed almost €20 million by means of a dividend to the Exchequer.

On Dublin Airport, I appreciate Mr. McGrail making the point about supporting the north runway at the airport. That is crucially important. I would urge all Teachtaí Dáil and Seanadóirí in Leinster House to move forward with the legislation as quickly as possible because the lack of same is holding everything up at the moment. We should push for that and get it through the Houses quickly. Obviously, we must debate it but we must not procrastinate. This is one of the key issues for Dublin Airport in terms of moving on with its plans, tendering for construction and so on.

Passenger numbers at Dublin Airport are expected to reach 31.5 million this year. Eight years ago, passenger numbers at the airport were approximately 20 million but, at the height of the Celtic tiger, the figure was between 24 million and 25 million. The current level of passenger traffic gives rise to safety concerns. Mr. McGrail may not be in a position to answer this question now but it is important to draw attention to the issue. Will Dublin Airport need to be slot restricted, as is the case in Gatwick, Heathrow and several other airports? Another issue is the fact that Aer Lingus and Ryanair account for approximately 80% of all passengers going through Dublin Airport and both are part of the European Aviation Safety Agency, EASA. With regard to the other 20%, airlines such as Etihad Airways are outside the Brexit space. I may be wrong but Brexit is not going to be such a significant issue. Flights between Ireland and the UK will not be grounded. Having said that, I would appreciate it if the Department would outline to the public, the airlines and all of those involved in aviation its scenario planning for Brexit. The airlines will have to make appropriate plans themselves but if they do not know the position of the Department, it will be difficult for them to do so.

I would value the view of the IAA on considering Baldonnel as a second airport for Dublin. There are two airports in Belfast and Glasgow. London has seven or eight airports although admittedly, London is at least six times bigger than Dublin. There are two airports in Brussels and we must at least start a debate on whether Dublin should have a second airport. Baldonnel is in south Dublin and is just off the M50. There is a Luas stop within five minutes of Baldonnel and the State owns the site. The possibility of Baldonnel being a second airport for Dublin, primarily for flights to and from the UK, was discussed as far back as 1999.

I ask Mr. McGrail to clarify the relationship between the IAA, AAIU, CAR and EASA. Where does the IAA fit into the overall picture? I have more questions but I have taken up too much time already.