Vol. 421 No. 9
18 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications if she has any proposals to provide any financial assistance through her Department or EC funds to assist regional airports in their operations and developments this year, as was provided last year.
A development programme costing £18.6 million, to be co-financed equally from the European Regional Devlopment Plan and from locally raised resources was announced by my predecessor in 1991 in respect of certain approved works at the six regional airports in the State. This programme will run until the end of 1993 and is designed to ensure that facilities at the airports are adequate to cope with traffic levels for the foreseeable future. I have no plans for any other forms of financial assistance towards the cost of providing facilities at those airports.
Will the Minister confirm that her predecessor, now Minister for Education, Deputy Brennan, made available a sum in excess of £1 million for a marketing programme to assist regional airports? Will she not consider doing the same in view of the fact that many regional airports, Waterford and others, are not satisfied with the level of traffic into their airports? In view of the fact that the Minister of State comes from that airport region and the Taoiseach is opening the extension next Monday, will the Minister examine the financial position of regional airports per se and ensure that they have sufficient support to continue their existence?
The allocation of £18.6 million for regional airports is very generous. It is intended that this package be concluded by the end of 1993. Of course, I am aware of the difficulties a number of regional airports have in relation to traffic to and from the airports. In cases where the business community at various regional airports have given their imprimatur to services and have backed up that imprimatur by very strong proposals they themselves have made to the different airlines, we have seen dramatic changes at a number of regional airports. The Minister of State at my Department has been in consultation with the airport authorities in Waterford and the national airline and others in efforts to improve the level of service and the numbers of traffic both to and from Waterford airport. We need a strong commitment in each of the regional airport areas, not just from the management of the airport companies themselves but, very much so, concrete co-operation from the business community in all these areas if we are to help a facility which did not exist a number of years ago, which needs to be built up economically in the region and which can have such great economic advantages and benefits to the region as a result.
Indeed there have been dramatic changes, unfortunately all in the wrong direction as far as Waterford airport is concerned. Is the Minister aware that the very future of the airport is in jeopardy because of the withdrawal by the two main airlines in the country — Aer Lingus and Ryanair — of a number of services? Is the Minister in a position to regulate traffic to direct these companies to provide a service which meets with the needs of the travelling public and which would help to make the airport viable? It is in danger of becoming economically unviable as things stand.
I do not think it would be appropriate for any Minister for Transport to become involved in directing airline companies——
Did the Minister not do it in Galway?
——to give a particular service to a particular regional airport. I did not do it in the case of my own regional airport in Galway. In Galway a very sophisticated package of measures was put in place by the business community——
That is not what Aer Lingus called it.
——Deputy McCormack's region. This comes back to my answer to the previous supplementary. The future of regional airports cannot be dependent solely on Government or EC support in the form of funding for developing their activities. That is only part of the future of the airport. We must ensure that the business community in each regional airport area give concrete backing and support to the airport itself and to those airline operators who are anxious to provide services. If I were to give a directive to an airline the only company to which I could do so under law, would be the national airline, Aer Lingus. That would cause an outcry, not least from the Deputy's party.
The Minister could do it orally and nobody would know anything about it.
I do not intend to give that direction. I understand, too, that Aer Lingus are meeting the Waterford airport authorities this week as I am sure Deputy Deasy is aware. I do not know what will happen as a result of that meeting, but I know the Minister of State at my Department, who happens to be a Waterford man himself, has lost no opportunity since he came into the Department to impress upon both airlines the importance, form an economic point of view and from the point of view of the development of the airport, of the possibility of increased levels of activity by those airlines in and out of Waterford airport.
Do it orally and no one will be aware of it.
I do not want this House or the Minister to be under any misapprehension and I want no misunderstanding. The business community in Waterford and the general public there, the ordinary person in the street, have contributed huge amounts of money to support this airport and make it what it is. With reference to what the Minister has been saying, they have done everything possible to make it a viable institute but they need some political support, political clout. They need some assistance from the State airline, and from Ryanair if possible, otherwise the whole operation is in jeopardy. I ask the Minister please not to be under any misapprehension about the level of local support. It has been tremendous.
That disposes of questions for today.
