Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

With all due respect, Shannon Airport has flights to all of the main transatlantic destinations. Kerry does not. Kerry is a different model, as is Knock. Mr. Geoghegan is refreshing in his honesty, which I appreciate because it tells me where Shannon Airport stands. There is an element of David versus Goliath.

Why will it take a further four years to return to 2019's passenger levels when the number is already at 50% and the bulk of airlines are flying? My next question picks up on Deputy O'Connor's point. Under the regulations, Dublin Airport has a charge of €7.75 per passenger. Heathrow is moving to between £24.50 and £34.40. What rate does Dublin Airport's charge need to be at to have a sustainable model that allows for reinvestment? The DAA views the model as needing to be self-sustaining. Why is the return taking so long, given the current metrics, and what rate should the airport charge be at?

There appears to be a contradiction on which I would like Mr. Geoghegan to elaborate. The DAA, in particular Dublin Airport, wants to be competitive internationally. I would have thought it was also competing with climate change. Instead of taking the direct transatlantic or UK routes, could people be willing to travel to Dublin and then fly out? Maybe they would be willing to come to Shannon and then fly onwards. Would that make us uncompetitive? Surely the DAA's competitors should be the major international airports, for example, Heathrow, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris Charles de Gaulle.