Mr. Neil McGowan:

I thank the Senator for the question. We would be broadly supportive of all the points he outlined. For Shannon Airport to be a success, it must be managed by the same entity as manages the other State airports in Dublin and Cork. We would be broadly supportive of a national aviation authority.

Our view on what needs to happen to Shannon is not that it becomes a bridesmaid to Dublin or Cork airports but that it is very much part of a national strategy for distributing the air traffic among those three airports. The other regional airports such as Knock and Kerry need to be taken into consideration in this regard. The separation and the idea that Shannon could compete on its own has been proven to be wrong. It is something that the unions and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions lobbied hard against at the time and we absolutely recognise the Senator's long-standing position on that. Our view is that it is certainly not about Dublin managing everything and the crumbs from the table going to the other airports. It is about having a combined, joined-up structure in place such that when the airports go to negotiate with the airlines, Shannon is not left out on its own as it unfortunately has been. When one contrasts the experience Shannon Airport has had with the one Cork Airport has had over the years since separation, it is quite stark. Cork Airport, while part of the DAA and with Cork representatives on the board - one of the SIPTU worker directors is an employee in the airport - was thriving and was the fastest-growing airport in the country prior to the pandemic, whereas Shannon was not getting anywhere near the passenger numbers it had until 2007. We would, therefore, certainly see a place for a national aviation authority and some independence around how those airports are run but with an overall joined-up strategy.

In relation to the boards, it is absolutely vital that there be worker representation on them as well.