James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

They are excellent. I have flown on them. If I recall correctly, they were servicing the Paris route for a short duration last year.

I will ask an important question. This one is for Mr. O'Neill, who is the chief operating officer at the moment. I have heard some rumblings that the incentives that the DAA is providing to get airlines to base aircraft at Cork Airport are not as good as they could be. For those listening to the debate who are not overly familiar with aviation, having aircraft based at an airport is key to getting additional routes. What is Mr. O'Neill's view on what the DAA could do to incentivise Aer Lingus further to open additional routes? We have heard murmurings from Ryanair that it is going to consider the issue. As our flag carrier, we would all like to see Aer Lingus expanding its services in Cork. Is there an issue of the DAA not providing enough financial incentives? There is significant demand from people across Munster to fly out of Cork Airport, and its routes are often raised with me as a representative in the area.