Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for Transport the progress that has been made towards the development of autonomous airports for Shannon and Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4900/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The State Airports Act, 2004 provides the framework for the establishment of Shannon, Cork and Dublin as independent airports. Under the Act, both the Minister for Finance and I will have to be satisfied as to the state of operational and financial readiness of the three airports before any vesting of assets can take place. The actual timing of airport restructuring will depend on the creation of the appropriate conditions that will ensure the financial sustainability of each of the three State Airports. The restructuring process will require coordinated strategies for the achievement of operational and financial readiness of each airport. In this regard, the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has a key role to play in finalizing the financial framework and coordinating the individual business plans for the three airports that will enable airport separation to take place.

The three Airport Authorities recently submitted their draft business plans to the DAA and I understand that discussions are underway between the parties on the content of the plans. Their plans and the DAA's views on them are currently being considered within my Department and I hope to be in a position to make a decision on the matter in the near future.