Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was delighted to hear the announcement by Aer Lingus's regional division that it will be bringing 100,000 extra passengers through the newly independent Shannon Airport next year. The airline intends to have a daily service between Shannon and Bristol and to double capacity on the existing routes to Manchester and Birmingham. This will create 20 jobs in Shannon and is a direct consequence of the abolition of the travel tax. I commend the Minister, Deputy Michael Noonan, on taking that brave decision in the budget. We have seen tangible effects from it, including the news from Aer Lingus today. This new development follows the recent announcement by Ryanair that it will carry an additional 300,000 passengers in 2014. These developments will bring in millions of euro in tourism revenue to the Clare, Galway and Limerick areas.