Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Okay. I will conclude by saying two things. I thank the DAA representatives. I apologise but I have another meeting. Dublin Airport is a strategically important State asset, facility and service. It should have been classified accordingly. I believe, and Mr. Philips, to be fair, is right that nobody foresaw what was happening because I have gone through the newspapers and articles. Around the world there are issues with aviation, so those who claim to have a knowledge that it was going to happen, I am sorry but they did not. I stand over that in this room. It is not acceptable that on a continual basis some people have said today they want to redeploy staff from Cork Airport to Dublin. We must not cut the capacity of Cork Airport or indeed Shannon Airport because it is critical the capacity of Cork, which is under the DAA's watch, is kept to its fullest. On another day, there needs to be a re-emphasising and a re-accentuating of Government aviation policy and the airlines. The DAA, Government and the airports have a role to play because 85% of our travelling public are coming in and out of Dublin Airport and that is far too high.

I conclude by wishing Mr. Philips well in his new move. Today is a disappointing day for him and his staff here are doing their best. I thank the staff on the front line last Sunday. I had people ringing me at 6 a.m. in the morning and I thought they were imagining it or making it up. They were not, unfortunately. I hope we will never be back to where we were today but I thank the DAA representatives for coming in.