Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

could put at risk the €18 billion of pharmaceutical and medical technology that are exported by air freight to the US and around €4.5 billion of high tech imports required for a wide range of manufacturing companies in this country. Taking that into account and the fact that so much of our future potential growth is based around our exports sector and around direct access to key markets from a tourism development point of view, would the Minister not consider that the Government should review the entire strategic importance of Aer Lingus as the enabler for both of those sectors?

He should be in a position to change his policy so that he sends a very clear message to the market that he wishes Aer Lingus to exist as it currently is, as an independent operator. It is very clear from the airline consolidation that is taking place in Europe and the United States that we cannot guarantee what the future ownership will be if we divest the current level of shareholding. It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that Ryanair, though some other guise, could find a way to take the assets of Aer Lingus in some secondary deal. Does the Minister agree that now is the time to have a fundamental review that gives some standing and future prospect to the retention of Aer Lingus as an independent operator?

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