This matter arises from the recent announcement about the change of plans for charter flights out of Cork Airport. The announcement, caused angry reaction in the south generally in tourist circles, among tour operators and the general public. Last year there had been no charter holiday flights, no so-called sun flights, out of the airport. The grievance appeared to have been remedied in the course of the last 12 months when the various interests involved, Aer Lingus, Aer Rianta, tour operators, worked out details of a series of charters this summer from Cork to the Continent: 40 charters to the Spanish resorts Las Palma, Malaga and 30 flights to Lourdes. The co-operation of the Department of Transport was necessary because air traffic controllers are employed directly by the Department. An estimated 7,000 travellers had booked up at Cork on these charter flights and all concerned looked forward to a big programme of direct flights which were booked extensively at the time in good faith by the tour operators, and a number had already taken place.
The Department of Transport were aware of the proposed series of flights by early March and made known the difficulties to Aer Lingus, but whoever is to blame it was not considered politic apparently to inform the public of the difficulties. The disappointment was all the more bitter when, seemingly out of the blue, it was announced last week that many of the planned charters, possibly as many as 50 per cent, would have to be, after all, rerouted through Dublin Airport, in either one or both sections of the journey. One does not need to emphasise the considerable inconvenience and the extra expense involved for holidaymakers and pilgrims who confidently had booked their places on charter flights. Not surprisingly, the Lord Mayor of Cork condemned the decision as "a seemingly national policy to centralise an increasing amount of activity in Dublin to the detriment of major growth centres such as Cork". I have quoted from the Cork Examiner of 12 June.
Aer Rianta and the travel operators joined in the chorus of condemnation, though they are not the real victims—arguably that policy of centralisation would suit Aer Lingus and would not necessarily be bad for the big tour operators. The decision is a business set-back generally. It puts in jeopardy the future of charters through Cork and therefore it has inconvenienced greatly the not so well off citizen who wants to budget for a direct and relatively inexpensive holiday or pilgrimage, for many an event of very rare experience indeed.
More fundamentally, the decision to cancel a large number of the charters brings into question the whole development of Cork Airport. At present the airport is open for 17 hours per day. It is a two shift service of eight-and-a-half hours per shift, closing at midnight. Flights outside the 17-hour period can be accommodated only if advance notice is given to all concerned so that staffing needs of various kinds can be met. Aer Rianta are prepared, and the record shows that they have been as good as their word in the past, to serve the community in this respect and can cope with the problems involved. It is a matter of gratification that Aer Rianta, in Cork at any rate, combine hardheaded business with a laudable dedication to serving the community and the idea of a community airport.
The crucial difficulty, however, and the reason for raising the matter here, is the seemingly inadequate staffing in air traffic control. It was the Department of Transport which informed Aer Lingus that they would not be able to organise the necessary all-night air traffic control service on more than, say, half the occasions required. According to the press reports—I have to quote again the Cork Examiner of 12 June:
A Department spokesman explained in reply to the Lord Mayor's protest that it was not the intention to downgrade Cork, and the spokesman as reported went on to make the suggestion that Aer Lingus should use Cork Airport within normal working hours.
If this is true the point misses the whole nature of Aer Lingus charter operations. Their fleet is fully stretched, at least since their employees went on strike, by normal schedules and the only feasible time for charter flights are off-peak, late at night or early in the morning.
Disappointed travellers and a wider public feel that they are entitled to some explanation from the Department of Transport. What are the precise reasons for their inability to co-operate in an extension of hours at Cork Airport during the summer season? Is the Minister, as has been suggested, having difficulties with the Air Traffic Controllers Association about manning levels? Is the Minister somehow holding a line here?
The Government would do well even at the level of political self-interest to note a strong feeling in Cork at the moment that the needs of southern people are being overlooked callously in this regard. I do not want to turn the knife, but I need hardly remind the Minister that in Cork even the party faithful are less than enraptured with the Government.
Let us leave sordid considerations aside. The most important point that arises out of the present disappointing development is the question mark over the future of Cork Airport. Irrespective of the gloomy economic climate, cutbacks in spending, regard must be had to the potential of the airport. It is difficult admittedly at the moment to make convincing economic arguments in favour of a 24-hour airport in Cork, but the whole credibility of the airport's future is called into question if reasonable arrangements are not made for its functioning during the summer season. In this day and age it is ludicrous that an airport should be specifically open at night to accommodate particular pilgrimages only after public representatives had made particular representations. This curious development took place on two or three occasions in 1979. Though I understand the difficulties involved, I appeal to the Minister not to let the Department stand in the way of the development of Cork Airport.
