Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport
Impact of Passenger Cap at Dublin Airport on Ryanair's Business and Operations: Ryanair
Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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Mr. O’Leary threw the elephant into the middle of the room when he adverted to the Minister and his responsibilities. He is the Minister for transport, climate change, communications, the environment and everything else you are having. No organisation would have one person trying to run so many different elements. I received a letter from the Minister for Transport and his then Minister of State while we were discussing the search and rescue service negotiations that were under way in which they openly admitted that they had no oversight of transport and they trusted the officials to do it. That is a serious problem. It is a societal problem for Ireland. Having Ministers with five or six portfolios does not work.
My final question is about something that is not unusual in Europe. Aldergrove in Northern Ireland shares its airport between civilians and the military. To throw Mr. O’Leary a side ball, is there any potential in looking at Baldonnel as an alternative to Dublin?