asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport the Government's policy in relation to the development of internal air transport in this country with special reference to the western seaboard areas.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Internal Air Transport.
20.
Under the Air Navigation and Transport Acts an authorisation from me is required for the operation of an air service. A number of such authorisations have been granted in the past for the operation of internal air services. One such application, recently received, is at present under consideration.
Aer Lingus operate services between Dublin and Shannon and Dublin and Cork but have no plans for any extension of their internal services.
Is it the policy of the Minister and the Government to encourage, where feasible and desirable, the further expansion and development of an internal aviation service by way of improving existing airfields and the construction of new ones? What is the general attitude to this?
Where we have found it practicable licences were issued, as happened in the past.
Therefore, the Minister does not have any definite policy to encourage the further development of internal aviation? Am I to take it that the Minister waits for the initiative to be taken by private enterprise?
That seems to have been the general policy in the past. Applications were made and, where it was found they were practical, the authorisations were issued.
Has the Minister considered, or is anyone in his Department considering, the possibilities of a scheduled air service, even if only a seasonal one, to some centre in the west such as Castlebar or Galway? I appreciate that it might not pay for itself and might have to be subsidised but we are subsidising our railways very heavily already.
The Department have to consider these things on the basis of whether or not they are practical. I could not imagine, in circumstances which did not warrant a service for other reasons, providing a service which would lose money from the very beginning.
Did the Minister say he had one application?
There are other reasons.
Social reasons.
We will take the next question.
Did the Minister say there was one application on his desk for a scheduled service or charter facilities?
For a class C authorisation, non-scheduled.