Vol. 482 No. 4
57 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 9 of 2 October 1997, regarding Baldonnel Aerodrome, the consultation, if any, which has been made with the airlines who fly in and out of Dublin; if not, when he will enter into these consultations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18211/97]
The previous Government decided last year that the provision of a second commercial airport in the Dublin area would not be in the interests of the aviation sector and the economy generally and nothing has happened in the interim which would warrant a change in that decision. I have not discussed the matter with commercial airlines. The question of the need for a second commercial airport is one of general aviation policy and a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Public Enterprise. Casement Aerodrome is the main military airbase in the State and as long as the bulk of military flying operations are conducted there, in particular basic flying training flights, the base could not be considered suitable for use as a commercial airport with scheduled services.
