Vol. 551 No. 4
73 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Public Enterprise her plans to change the rule requiring all regional airport flights to be routed through Dublin to qualify for PSO funding in view of the congestion which is growing in Dublin and the need to abandon plans to build another runway at Dublin Airport. [10817/02]
There is no rule, as such, which requires our public service obligation flights to be routed to Dublin. As I pointed out on Friday last at the Select Committee on Public Enterprise, our six PSO routes link the regional airports in Kerry, Galway, Sligo, Knock, Donegal and Derry with Dublin because most of the people using these services, including business and tourism interests, want fast, reliable access to the capital city either to do business in Dublin or to connect with onward flights from Dublin Airport to overseas destinations. The PSO regime, which is supported by the Exchequer, exists to serve the needs of the travelling public and to promote the development of the regions concerned.
The recent completion of the major extension of the terminal building at Dublin Airport has provided sufficient capacity to handle up to 20 million passengers per annum compared to a throughput of 14.3 million passengers in 2001. The optimisation of movements on the runway at Dublin Airport, particularly at peak periods, is now a matter for the Commission for Aviation Regulation which has engaged Airports Co-ordination Limited to co-ordinate landing and take off slots at Dublin.
Aer Rianta has statutory responsibility to manage, operate and develop the State airports, including Dublin Airport, and provide such facilities and services as it considers necessary for aircraft and passengers. Notwithstanding the very welcome increase in traffic at Shannon and Cork airports in recent years and to a lesser extent at the regional airports, Dublin Airport is the country's main airport serving the needs, not just of the travelling public in our capital city and surrounding areas, but of the country's tourism, business and freight sectors generally.
While the nature and timing of any additions to infrastructural capacity, including runway capacity, at Dublin Airport is subject to ongoing review by Aer Rianta, it is prudent for the company to continue to plan for the future, particularly given the long lead times for major projects. Any proposal to proceed with another runway at Dublin Airport will, of course, be subject to planning permission being obtained.
