Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. I also welcome the Bill which is moving us in the right direction.

I visited Ireland West Airport Knock and it was a joy to witness the enthusiasm and pride of the people in the area who had come together to try to ensure the airport succeeded. If we can do the same at Shannon Airport, the same level of success will accrue. Shannon Airport is the right place in which to seek to progress so much development. For example, the aircraft leasing business to which Senator Sean D. Barrett and others referred will give rise to many opportunities. The late Tony Ryan first developed this concept in Ireland and I hope we will be able to develop it further into the future.

The Bill does not refer to subsidies for Shannon Airport or other airports. Will the Minister expand on this issue and comment on whether estimates have been made of how these will be reduced if the Shannon Group is a success? I presume there are some targets in place in reducing subsidies and I would be interested to hear more details if that is the case. In addition, how will the proposed new European Union rules to bring subsidies to an end affect regional airports here? Are these airports likely to suffer or even be forced to close as a result of the imposition of these rules?

Will the Minister also expand on the tourism targets? How many more passengers need to be brought through Shannon Airport in order to meet these targets and how many flights will there have to be? Some airports in other jurisdictions give specific subsidies to airlines to encourage them to offer services on certain routes. Given that the Shannon Group is commercial in nature, could it offer some incentive to new airlines to fly into Shannon Airport? For example, could it offer Chinese airlines a good incentive to start flying into the airport? Obviously, Ryanair and Aer Lingus cannot offer links to China but perhaps China Airlines might try out the connection if there was less risk involved for it. I am approaching this matter from a business perspective. What would happen if the new entity were to offer an incentive such as that to which I refer to an outside company? The benefits for the economy, the west and the country as a whole would be massive. I am not sure if this idea is viable, but if the Shannon Group is completely commercial, it must consider all options, including the one to which I refer, in order to give the economy a real boost.

Small airlines in Japan offer free flights to regional airports. This is another option which could be worth considering in order to get the ball rolling in encouraging people from abroad who would otherwise not fly into Shannon Airport or smaller airports to think about doing so. This could help to boost tourism in the region. Local communities in Japan have been encouraged to subsidise their airports in order to facilitate the free flights to which I refer.

I wonder whether we might do more in promoting Ireland's and Shannon Airport's aviation history. I would love to see the Air Corps' historic aeroplanes being put to better use. Instead, as is generally the case, of being locked away from the public at Baldonnell Airport, they and other old aircraft should be displayed at a new museum at Shannon Airport. A recent film showed some of the events in aviation history which occurred in Ireland. A museum such as that to which I refer would be a real attraction and could for a very small cost be an international draw. Shannon Airport would be the perfect location for it. As a customer, I would love that sort of museum to be established. All new ideas should be explored in the light of the revamp of the Shannon Airport and surrounding area.

I wish the Minister success with this legislation. I will be interested in his responses to the questions I have posed. We have all been approached about the pension scheme. I accept that this is an extremely difficult matter with which to deal, particularly, as is the case elsewhere, there is a shortage in the pension fund. Will the Minister allay the major concerns of those who paid into the scheme for many years and are worried about what will happen in the future?