Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I have strongly advised people in the Shannon region to focus on the future. The Deputy is correct in that there is a significant opportunity to go to America to look for new markets instead of having an argument with me about the past. The world has changed. An open skies agreement is the reality. Shannon Airport's objective should be to accommodate many airlines and not just Aer Lingus, which is by far the largest carrier of passengers on the transatlantic route from Shannon. There is no question about that, but we should try to expand on US destinations from Shannon and vice versa. This is what the future will hold.

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