Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Both are excellent. The Labour Party took a stand against the British Airways IAG takeover of Aer Lingus. Its members are looking after the interests of the workers. We in this House have an interest in the development of this country. Aer Lingus, in generating 11 million passengers for a population of 4 million people, is doing four times better than British Airways in generating 38 million passengers for a population of 64 million people. If fellow Senators are interested in developing this country, we do not want a situation to develop where future Ministers with responsibility for tourism and industry have to telephone Heathrow to get flights into this country. Aer Lingus, as a development agency, outperforms British Airways by a factor of four. I ask the Senators to bear that in mind when this decision comes before their parties.