Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Shannon Airport has an enormous role to play. While it does not have the same catchment in terms of population, one could drive a good bit further and still get through Shannon Airport more quickly than if one had to drive to Dublin and catch a flight from Dublin Airport. Shannon Airport needs to remind people that the region has a smaller local population in terms of Limerick, Shannon and Galway. However, one could drive a good bit further to get to Shannon Airport. There could even be rail links, if we got them up and running. The experience of moving through a small airport, and we have all been through small airports that have 2 million or 3 million passengers a year as opposed to 30 million passengers a year, is a different and much faster experience. If I lived in a place like Portlaoise, if there were flights from Shannon Airport, I would avail of them, even it meant paying an extra €10. The point has been made that flights do not have to be any dearer and surely the cost of running Shannon Airport cannot be more expensive once management gets the economy of scale up and running, per passenger charge. The facilities are all there, and there is under-utilised capacity so let us all try to make it work. I am certainly available to help and support Mr. Ó Céidigh as best I can.