Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

Past success is no guarantee of future performance and we must always be on our guard. The Minister mentioned that there may be a benefit in Aer Lingus's decision in terms of further developing the United States market. However, putting all one's eggs in one basket is not a sensible approach. Moreover, that was never the intention. Aer Lingus deliberately set out to grow the United States market but also the Middle Eastern market. It is disappointing, particularly given Mr. Dermot Mannion's experience of the Middle East, that Aer Lingus should provide a flight whose scheduling was doomed from the beginning.

Depending on Etihad to enhance its services to Ireland is not the same as securing access to a major hub in the Middle East. Is there anything the Minister can do to encourage other airlines, such as Emirates, to fly into Ireland? That airline has a huge worldwide network that would be of tremendous benefit to our tourism industry. The company's marketing ability is enormous and would provide us with promotional opportunities on a worldwide scale.

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