Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

The transatlantic open skies agreement is a positive development and the Minister is correct that the local tourism industry should try to provide connections. However, this cannot be done without proper infrastructure in place. Shannon will not compete with Cork or Dublin unless an infrastructure is developed that will provide passengers arriving there with a first-class experience. Tour operators such as I would then be in a position to use Shannon because we would be confident they could transfer customers from the airport to their destination. Without a rail connection, we will not be successful in this regard. I am concerned about the future viability of the airport under the competitive open skies agreement if the proper infrastructure is not put in place.

I am sure our candidate in the constituency, Councillor Brian Meaney, will play a vital role in providing such a high quality and top class infrastructure so that the airport might survive and thrive.

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