Mr. Vincent Harrison:

It is very difficult to define capacity in any single block because of all the different components. We can be over the capacity requirement in some areas and constrained in others, which becomes the limiting factor. Until we built the runway, our limiting factor was the number of aircraft that could take off, particularly at peak times in the day. That issue is resolved, but it creates a different bottleneck and a different sizing of capacity. It is not a straightforward answer, and in a policy context we can approach it in a much more complex way.

Just to provide members with the context, we are very proud to serve the whole island of Ireland. More people visit Northern Ireland from outside of the UK through Dublin Airport than through any of the local airports. That is because we have the long-haul connectivity to destinations around the world that make us a much more attractive option than transferring, for example, through Heathrow. In respect of the residents who use Dublin Airport, it might surprise people to learn that 70% of our business comes from people who live in Leinster. We are fulfilling the needs of the core catchment and we are fulfilling the need of a capital city airport for the rest of the country. People can get a direct flight from Ireland, an island of 6.5 million people, to somewhere like Dubai or Hong Kong. One would not expect to get that from multiple destinations in a country like ours. We are proud and will promote and make people aware of our route network. If that comes across as aggressive marketing, it is not our intention, but it certainly creates awareness of the services that are available.

In the context of the discussions we have had before about mobility it is important that advertise to people how to get to Dublin Airport. I know there have been comments made about promoting bus services from parts of the country to the airport. One of the ways we can stop people from driving cars is by creating awareness and usage of the bus services. We do not necessarily apologise for any of that type of promotion and awareness. As I said, we are operating with a core catchment and a reach into the rest of the country, which increasingly is for the sorts of services that are only available in the capital city airport. We wish every airport, including Cork Airport, well in building its regional structure from its own catchment.