Mary White (Fianna Fail)

The business plans cannot be completed until the new chairmen and boards are in place. The plans will then be presented for approval to the Ministers for Finance and Transport. The airports will not be allowed to become fully-fledged independent legal entities until both Ministers agree that the plans will work.

I know Aer Rianta upside down and inside out. When I married in 1969, I had to give up my job in the public sector. However, Aer Rianta gave me a job in the architects' department when I returned from my honeymoon. As it stands, it is a successful company, employing 3,300 people with sales of approximately €430 million and profits of €20 million. However, the time has come for it to change. The world's economies have become more complex and intricate. All businesses have to deal with shocks and, from my experience, Aer Rianta was fortunate that it had a ready cash cow in its duty free shops. With this revenue, airport charges were kept down. Following the abolition of duty free in 1999 Aer Rianta's profits dropped by 40%. The following year, the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the UK had an effect on passenger numbers. The manner in which the Minister for Agriculture and Food averted a serious outbreak of foot and mouth disease is a textbook example of model political leadership. Then the tragic events of 11 September 2001 impacted on customers using airports, with a drop in sales. This was followed by the SARS outbreak. In my dealings with the airports, I knew at firsthand that passenger numbers had dropped.

Aer Rianta is a superb organisation with an entrepreneurial workforce. However, many people to whom I have spoken in Shannon and Cork Airports are fearful of the future. The chairman designate of the Shannon Airport Authority, Mr. Pat Shanahan, has said that he is happy that passenger numbers——