Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 12 Mar 1997

Vol. 476 No. 3

Written Answers. - Air Traffic Agreements.

Tony Killeen

Question:

19 Mr. Killeen asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications the means by which his Department ensures that airlines comply with the bilateral agreement with the United States on transatlantic traffic; whether there have been instances of non-compliance; and, if so, the action, if any, taken in this regard. [6891/97]

Tony Killeen

Question:

28 Mr. Killeen asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications whether any discussions have been held at EU Council of Ministers level regarding air traffic agreements with the United States; and the way such agreements might be negotiated in future at individual State level and at EU level. [6890/97]

Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications (Mr. Dukes)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 28 together.

The EU Transport Council in June 1996 approved a mandate for the Commission to enter into negotiations with the US on the possibility of concluding an agreement on an EU-US common aviation area.

The mandate does not yet allow for negotiations on traffic rights. The first round of negotiations took place in Washington on 30 and 31 October 1996 and a second round is scheduled to take place in Brussels next month. The talks taking place are concentrating on regulatory issues such as competition rules, ownership and control, code sharing, leasing etc. which might form part of an eventual EU-US aviation agreement.

While these discussions are ongoing the mandate specifically provides that member states shall not be limited in their ability to open or pursue bilateral negotiations and conclude agreements with the US. That having been said there are no plans at present for Ireland to seek discussions with the US with a view to revising the terms of the Ireland-US bilateral air services agreement.

The Ireland-US bilateral air services agreement providesinter alia that all airlines wishing to operate direct air services between the US and Dublin must provide at least an equivalent level of services between the US and Shannon. All airlines operating services between the US and Ireland are required to notify their schedules in advance to my Department. These schedules are examined to ensure compliance with the terms of the bilateral agreement. Furthermore I receive monthly reports from Aer Rianta of transatlantic movements at both Shannon and Dublin which again are examined by my Department.

The current Shannon stop requirement has been consistently cited by US airlines as one of the barriers to providing new direct scheduled services to Ireland, particularly given the opportunities for US airlines to start new services to say UK and other European cities. I suppose that I must conclude that they are other problematic issues also.

It is entirely legitimate for our Government to wish to ensure that Shannon Airport and the region it serves participate appropriately in the growth in trans-Atlantic traffic which we all wish to see, particularly in view of the fact that a majority of passengers arriving in Ireland from the US continue to wish to disembark at Shannon.