Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

Ironically, the routes into Europe grew last year in spite of the difficulties in the industry. The potential for the Italian, French and Nordic markets is substantial. We spoke earlier about the phenomenal potential in the Asian market if we can get the visa situation resolved. One of the developments required at Dublin Airport is to ensure the runway is long enough for aeroplanes to come in directly from Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Sydney and so on. When people travel the long distances from those destinations to London, they do not want to have to take another flight to Ireland. We need direct access not only with our own carriers but with other carriers.

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