Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There is a fixed tension in the aviation industry between the airlines, which continually drive down costs and prices, and the airports here and elsewhere, which have fixed costs that do not change and in fact will probably only increase. This is something the aviation industry will have to wrestle with but that is another point. The witnesses from Aer Lingus mentioned they foresaw demand coming back to 90% of what it was.

In our previous meeting with representatives of the DAA and others involved in the aviation industry, it was stated that they did not see this level of demand returning and that no one foresaw this. Did Aer Lingus feel it was a lone voice late last summer and over the winter in foreseeing that aviation was going to rebound? What were its meetings with other stakeholders in the aviation industry like? Do the witnesses feel like they were not listened to?