Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

——to come up with an optimum solution.

In regard to what Deputy Olivia Mitchell said, there is no disagreement on that. I want the optimum result at Dublin Airport in terms of the terminal. Practically all the airlines agree on what the site should be for much greater reasons than simply putting in place a piece of infrastructure. That is what I have been trying to say for the past few months.

I am aware of what airlines have been saying to the Dublin Airport Authority. Everybody is suddenly thinking outside the box. They are taking account of the bigger picture in terms of what they can get in benefit from the right decision being made on the terminal. They are also taking account of how they can increase the traffic, improve operations and marry the clearly tremendous opportunities in short-haul flights, the low cost end of the business which is growing on all routes. Equally, there is massive opportunity for Aer Lingus in terms of long-haul flights. If we got a coherent result on the operational side between long-haul and short-haul flights for the benefit of the passenger, we would be in business. Dublin will be a formidable hub compared to some of the other European airports.

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