Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There are strategic issues involved and cargo is certainly one of them. I met the Irish Exporters Association on a number of occasions and discussed that very point. The association is also represented on the Tánaiste's export trade council, so I meet its members from time to time in that forum. Almost all airlines, other than Ryanair, provide cargo services and it was its intention and remains its intention, if it gains control of Aer Lingus, to continue to carry cargo because it is profitable.

On the issue of the Heathrow slots we cannot, on our own, block the sale or lease of those. There is nothing stopping Aer Lingus from turning around the slots itself and using them to fly London transatlantic. It could do that if it so wished. The other point to remember is that the slots can be forfeited. If Aer Lingus does not use them, it loses them. The airline does not own them as some may think; it just has rights over them. It is also worth pointing out that even if the Government stake is disposed of, the Government remains an interested party when it comes to any takeover attempt and can still be in a position to make its views known to the European Commission. Any merger or acquisition which has a European dimension remains notifiable to the European Commission under the 2004 mergers regulations. Therefore, even if the State was not a shareholder, the Commission would still examine any competition issues if a merger was proposed. In addition, we would be able to make our views known.

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