Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It seems that promises made to develop regional businesses and so on are falling flat on their face, as it were, especially in terms of the two-tier recovery. The case of Norwegian Air is interesting. There was much hope in the regions in terms of the announcement from the US but it seems that there will be 12 flights per week from Dublin and that Dublin will get the bulk of the flights from Norwegian Air. Cork will get about three flights per week to Providence and it is not clear what Shannon or Knock will get, if anything. It seems to me that when one looks at the 27 million passengers that go through Dublin Airport, the 2.3 million through Cork and the 1.74 million through Shannon, it illustrates the incredibly lopsided economic development on the island and in this Republic. Under the Irish Aviation Authority (amendment) Bill, I put it to the Taoiseach that there is an urgent need to ensure a far greater balance in terms of services out of the regions as opposed to the capital.

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