Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Those are welcome comments.

On the wider aviation strategy, I will again concentrate on Shannon Airport because it is symptomatic of the other airports outside Dublin. Key connectivity is of vital importance. Schiphol Airport would be ideal in this regard. I refer to a situation where slot access turns out to not be possible. The Minister of State rightly identified that this is not just about the PSO, but also requires an airline being prepared to provide the services. While the State may offer a PSO contract, it is not clear whether an airline will be ready to take it up. If this turns out not to be the case, will the Minister of State also consider Frankfurt Airport, or Schiphol Airport, in respect of onward connectivity to the wider world? This would be of great benefit to the Shannon region, not just from a tourism but also a business perspective. If the tools available to the Minister of State were looked at again, as part of the change in policy, consideration must be given to how it will prove possible to attract more point-to-point business. That would be good but what we really need is onward connectivity to Asia and beyond to make the mid-west region a focus for economic growth.