Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

I thank Sinn Féin for tabling this motion and particularly its call on the Government to develop the regional airports as part of an integrated all-Ireland transport policy. International research has proven that airports stimulate regional development. They are a strong catalyst and are a major economic driver in the western region, in particular. That is demonstrated by the fact that they supported 546,000 bed nights in the region in 2004. While Knock Airport continues to have international runway length capacity of 2,300 metres its potential will not be fully realised until the investment is made.

The Government should have supported Knock Airport in the same way as it has supported Aer Rianta airports. The Government provides approximately €3 per passenger to Aer Rianta airports each year while the European norm is as high as €8 or €10. If the minimum Aer Rianta standard had been applied to Knock Airport it would have received a capital investment of between €115 million and €190 million in the past decade. Instead it has received investment of less than €5 million.

The Minister for Transport needs to have a vision for Knock Airport. The actions taken up to now have not addressed the problem and will not do so if they continue. It is obvious the western region has been deprived of funding of €2 million, which will have to be made up. When the Government puts together its capital envelope it should include the €2 billion deficit and ring fence whatever else is for the BMW area under the national development plan, otherwise it will go elsewhere.

Given that, say, 20 million passengers land on one side of the country and only 0.5 million on the other side, it is in the interests of balanced regional development that the Government would put this €30 million to €40 million investment into Knock International Airport. Knock International Airport is Ireland's fourth international airport, serving up to 13 counties. Some 21 million passengers per year travel through airports in the south and east, 6 million passengers travel through airports in Northern Ireland, which has almost the same population as the border midlands and west region. Knock Airport, however, with a projected figure of 500,000 passengers this year is the starkest example of the failure to develop the BMW region. It is an example of unbalanced regional development and we are paying for it. Knock Airport has a longer runway than Cork Airport yet it has been the poor relation for Government investments.

In the south and east, airport investment is directed towards expanding the existing airports rather than airport safety and security as at Knock. For years Dublin has benefited from public sector support and is now capable of supporting substantial investment in other airports, such as Cork and Shannon. Knock has no such relationship with the large cash cow. Between now and 2007 an investment of at least €18 million is required at Knock to provide the airport with category 2 status, which would greatly reduce any chance of plane diversions. A total investment of €40 million would also provide an expanded airport apron so that there would be adequate space for large aircraft such as Airbus, which now uses Knock Airport. This apron would ensure airplanes with a fast turnaround time were not delayed and therefore schedules would be kept. In that way Knock could compete with other airports and those millions of passengers could be diverted to the west.

Given that Knock is well-placed, being less than a one-hour drive from nine regional urban centres or gateways, it the only effective international airport for most of them. Traffic numbers at Knock Airport in January and February 2005 grew by 101% compared to the same period last year. During the past six months, two new Gatwick routes, a Liverpool route and a second Birmingham route have been added to the existing routes at the airport. Despite this the Government intends to provide a second terminal and even a third terminal at a cost of €150 million plus, say €250 million, which is projected to suck in 38 million passengers by 2025 and will further congest Dublin where already traffic is at ass and cart pace. This is madness when one considers the wonderful international airport at Knock lying under-developed and under-utilised with one-fortieth of the passenger numbers of Dublin Airport. It does not make sense.

There is a need also for the 5,000 new jobs to be created at Knock rather in Dublin, which already has too many people and has half our graduates. Surely those jobs should be at Knock where net industrial output grew by 3.7% annually between 1990 and 1997 in the BMW area compared to 12.7% growth nationally elsewhere. Bed nights and tourist accommodation are down by 20% in the west although tourist numbers rose by 6% nationally. There is a great need for proper investment and a tax incentive scheme in Knock. I hope the Minister will look at all this area. I support the motion.

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