Tony Killeen
Question:240 Mr. Killeen asked the Minister for Defence the total number of crew members that will be employed by Hunting Aviation in connection with the air-taxi contract for the duration of the Irish Presidency of the EU. [10896/96]
Written Answers. - Air-Taxi Contract.
In accordance with EU regulations, a tender competition for the provision of an air taxi service for the transport of Ministers during Ireland's presidency of the EU was held by the Department of Defence. Following a detailed evaluation on financial and technical grounds of the seven tenders received, the contract for the provision of the service was awarded to Hunting Aviation Ltd., London.
It was not a condition of the tender specification that the provider of the air taxi service should be the owner or operator of the aircraft to be used in providing the service. In submitting its tender document, Hunting Aviation Ltd. provided full details of the crew and aircraft they propose to use in providing the air taxi service. These details were referred to the Irish Aviation Authority and the Air Crops who regarded the crew and aircraft as capable of meeting the requirements of the specification. The crew and aircraft are being provided to Hunting Aviation Ltd. by Heathrow Jet Charter Limited and Aravco Limited of London. This is not the first time that an air taxi service has been used. In 1994 such a service was used for a period of two months during which the Gulfstream IV aircraft was undergoing maintenance. Following a tender competition, the service was provided by Hunting Aviation Ltd. using aircraft supplied by Heathrow Jet Charter Ltd and Aravco Ltd. The service provided by Hunting Aviation Ltd. during the period was satisfactory.