Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)

It is not. I welcome Ryanair's developments in the airport. However, it is important that we do not put all our eggs in the one basket. Shannon accounts for 44% of the transatlantic business. This will be eroded in an open skies system as the large transatlantic carriers will concentrate on where the big business is, namely, Dublin Airport. I agree marketing is important. However, if the national carrier does not favour Shannon Airport, resulting in the loss of an all-year-round transatlantic service, tourism and industry in the region will suffer.

US chambers of commerce have stated they want a direct daily service into Shannon Airport. The Minister is not doing enough to protect this service even though the European Commission has no problem with such an arrangement.

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