Vol. 427 No. 3
30 Mr. Barry asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications if, in view of the proposals to build aircraft capable of holding up to 800 passengers, the structural technology, the engines and the flight systems for which are available or will be available very soon, the present runways at Cork, Shannon and Dublin are capable of handling such aircraft; if his Department has a blue print for the future of aviation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Government policy in relation to the three State airports is to ensure that the infrastructure is adequate to cater for present and projected traffic and for the operational requirements of the user airlines.
The plans of the major world aircraft manufactures are co-ordinated and kept under continuous review through a tripartite international working group, comprising representatives of manufacturers, airlines and airports. Aer Rianta is represented on the working group. The objective is to ensure compatibility between new equipment and existing or planned infrastructure whilst meeting the needs of the travelling public.
The introduction of new large aircraft is not expected to have an adverse impact on runway capacity at the three State airports.
