Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

With a 9% fall in economic activity last year, it is true that we have been more severely hit than other countries. I am not comparing airport charges at Dublin Airport to those at airports in large cities such as Paris; the figures to which I referred relate to capital city airports throughout Europe which are of comparable size, serve a similar population and so on. The reduction in passenger numbers is not down simply to airport charges. It may be a factor but only a minor one.

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