Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 280: To ask the Minister for Transport the reason his Department did not inform the Shannon Airport Authority as a statutory body formed under the State Airports Act 2004 of the Aer Lingus intention to end the Shannon-Heathrow route when they informed the Dublin Airport Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26380/07]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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An official of my Department had contact with the Dublin Airport Authority on 13 June 2007 in order to determine the performance, in terms of passenger numbers and load factors, of the Shannon Heathrow route. The approach was made in the context of separate contacts between the Department and Aer Lingus concerning the media coverage of a possible Belfast base. The discussion with the DAA was on a confidential basis since it concerned commercially sensitive information about Aer Lingus.