Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Michael D. Higgins for raising this issue. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Noel Dempsey, is unavoidably absent. The EU regulation to which the Deputy refers is of no relevance to the decision of Aer Lingus to discontinue its Shannon to Heathrow service. The regulation in question is Council Regulation (EEC) No. 95/93, as amended, on common rules for the allocation of slots at community airports. I propose to set out the background to the regulation and how it is applied.

The regulation lays down common EU rules for the allocation of slots to air carriers at airports in the community. Essentially the regulation took responsibility for the slot allocation process out of the hands of airport authorities at congested airports and made it the responsibility of slot co-ordinators who are designated by the member states. The Commission for Aviation Regulation has been designated as the competent authority for the regulation in Ireland.

Under the regulation, airports in the community are either co-ordinated or schedules facilitated, as referred to by Deputy Higgins. Generally, congested airports will be designated as co-ordinated airports by the relevant authority in the member state concerned which means that a carrier cannot operate a landing or a take-off at such an airport without being allocated a slot. A more flexible regime can be operated at schedules facilitated airports where capacity is not so constrained.

The application of Regulation 95/93 in Ireland is concerned only with the allocation of slots at Irish airports and Dublin airport is the only airport in the State that has been designated as a co-ordinated airport by the Commission for Aviation Regulation. The slot allocation process at London Heathrow is entirely a matter for the UK authorities.

With regard to the wider issue of the withdrawal by Aer Lingus of the Shannon to Heathrow service, the Deputy will be aware that the Government is extremely disappointed with the decision taken by Aer Lingus and has clearly conveyed that disappointment to the management of the company, both publicly and privately.

See this speech in context