Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)

Does the Minister consider the Airbus A330, which is used on transatlantic routes, a suitable replacement for existing aircraft given that many carriers are choosing smaller aircraft for those routes? For example, Continental Airlines uses a Boeing 757 with much less capacity.

The Minister stated there were opportunities for Aer Lingus to open new routes to 20 different destinations in the US. Are these year-round routes or seasonal? Given that Aer Lingus is a relatively small airline compared to US carriers, Lufthansa and British Airways, of which the former Aer Lingus chief executive is now chief executive, will it be able to compete against such mega-carriers on transatlantic routes?

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