Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I might. It does not make sense from a State perspective that we have an airport with a capacity of between 4.5 million and 7 million - Mr. Henry might clarify that - but that was only seeing 1.5 million before the pandemic.

Considerable capacity is built, ready and deliverable. National aviation policy can do a certain amount. I would love to see Shannon Airport at 5 million passengers and not in need of any State subsidy. I would love for it not to qualify for a subsidy because it is processing that many passengers. However, we are not there now. It makes sense that the smaller airports qualify for subsidies and the threshold should be raised so Shannon qualifies. However, the market cannot be rigged to force people into flying from Shannon because I do not think that logic works in the long term. That said, Shannon has an awful lot going for it. Travelling through the airport is a pleasurable experience. It is straightforward to get from the car park into, and through, the terminal. The security machines that we saw are amazing because passengers do not have to remove their liquids, laptop, cables and all the rest of it from their bag, as we are used to doing now. Deputy Carey made the point that if someone is travelling across the Atlantic from Dublin, he or she has to pass the ordinary security gates and then pass through security again for the pre-clearance. All of that is included in the first round of security checks in Shannon. The shoes are the main difference between one check and the other.

Shannon has a lot going for it and I am not sure that message is sufficiently understood. I am not having a go at Mr. Henry when I say that, nor am I having a go at Shannon. This is an opportunity for me to say that anybody living in the midlands should be thinking about travelling from Shannon Airport long before they think about travelling from Dublin Airport. Anybody within 50, 100 or 150 miles of Shannon should consider that even though the distance to that airport may be a tiny bit longer, the journey will be completed much more quickly. People travelling will get to the car park quicker and will get through the airport quicker. Their travelling experience will be much more pleasurable.

I once went through London Southend Airport, a smaller airport, and was off the plane and on the train in approximately 12 minutes. They did not even check passports because they did not have to do so under the common travel area arrangements. Because the airport had no other international passengers, its staff were able to waive the requirement to check passports.

I support an examination of national aviation policy. Mr. Henry has skills and knowledge. He is originally from Belfast, lives in Dublin and worked in Limerick. That gives him an all-island experience and understanding of the various demographics involved. He has worked with, and understands, Ryanair, which operates 22 of the 26 scheduled routes out of Shannon. There are three Aer Lingus routes, one United Airlines route and 22 Ryanair routes. I am sure Mr. Henry is still on good terms with Ryanair and that connection is helpful.

I note he is in daily contact with management at the moment and a chairman probably should not be in daily contact over the course of a five-year term. I know he and the management team are on a learning curve. He might touch on how much time he spends, and how much time he envisages spending, doing the job. I am aware he also has other things on his plate and the fee for this job is not exactly a full-time salary.

Mr. Henry has his work cut out, as has Shannon Group, in letting the world, Ireland and the travelling public know how good the airport is. I was not aware how good it is until I got there. I have a great interest in aviation and if I am not that familiar with how good Shannon is, I am sure the rest of the travelling public is not familiar with it either. I presume Shannon is more competitive in respect of landing charges. It is certainly more competitive on car parking. It does not have the density of population in the catchment; that much is obvious. It does not make any sense from a climate change perspective that people should travel from Dublin to Shannon to get on a plane to fly back towards Berlin or the Continent generally. However, there is a positive message to sell about the travelling passengers. It is also all about, dare I say it, bums on seats. It is about volume. The fixed costs are there. The airport needs a volume of passengers.

I am giving a speech rather than asking questions. I would like to hear how Mr. Henry intends to get out the message. Ryanair, for whom he worked, has the best publicity machine ever invented and I do not mean that only with regard to Michael O'Leary as a personality. Ryanair is very good at getting the word out. How does Mr. Henry see his role in that regard? How does he see Shannon being able to tell the world and the Irish public how good it is for travelling out of the country? How can Shannon be marketed as a place where Americans want to land because they want to do the Wild Atlantic Way and go to Connemara, the Burren, Kerry and Limerick? All those places are right beside Shannon. There is no point in flying to Dublin and travelling to the Burren, Limerick or Connemara when Shannon Airport is on the doorstep. Mr. Henry might touch on what skills he can bring to help the management team to sell Shannon.