asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state, with reference to Shannon Airport: (a) the amount of landing charge paid by each plane using the airfield; (b) the actual cost to the State of each landing, taking capital outlay, maintenance, etc., into account; (c) the aggregate amount, to date, of capital outlay and the annual cost of servicing same; (d) the all-in cost of maintenance for the last 12 months; (e) particulars of the staff and of the cost of the same; (f) the net income earned; (g) the amounts, if any, of any further capital expenditure contemplated in the near future; and (h) the names of the companies at present using the airport and the duration of their contract.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Shannon Airport.
Capital expenditure on the Shannon Airport amounted to £1,099,629 on the 31st March, 1946. Works in progress since the 31st March, 1946, represent an estimated capital expenditure of £458,000. Consideration is being given to the further development required to bring the airport up to the standard which the Government thinks desirable. In so far as some of this expenditure is met from borrowing and is not a charge against revenue, I would refer the Deputy to Table I of the tables appended to the Financial Statement laid before the Dáil each year by the Minister for Finance in connection with the Budget. Borrowing for airports forms part of the general Exchequer borrowings the service charges of which may be found in the annual finance accounts. Particulars of the staff employed, expenditure on maintenance and details of receipts are set out in Vote 56 of the Estimates for the Public Services.
The companies at present operating scheduled air services to the airport are:—
Aer Lingus Teoranta;
Air France;
American Overseas Airways, Inc.;
British Overseas Airways Corporation;
Pan American Airways, Inc.;
Transcontinental and Western Air, Inc.
None of these companies is under contract to use the airport.
It is not feasible to state the amount of the landing charge paid by each plane using the airport as the charge is based on a scale and depends on a number of factors such as the weight of the aircraft, the number of passengers, the weight of air mail and the weight of other cargo carried. For aircraft of the type at present used on transatlantic operations the airport dues work out at about £20 per landing.
Similar considerations apply to the question of the calculation of the actual cost to the State of each landing.