Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 November 2014
165. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will acknowledge that Cork Airport is a vital transport hub for the many industries and businesses in the region; his views on the removal of two more routes recently by Aer Lingus from Cork Airport; his Department's plans to ensure the future growth and development of Cork Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45433/14]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the DAA is the body charged with statutory responsibility to manage, operate and develop Dublin and Cork Airports. In these circumstances, plans to ensure the future growth and development of Cork Airport are matters for DAA and Cork Airport management and not matters in which I have a direct role.
I am of course very aware of the importance of Cork Airport for business and tourism in the Cork region. I am also aware of the continuing decline in passenger numbers over recent years at the Airport. This is why, at the request of my predecessor, a high level stakeholder body, the Cork Airport Development Council (CADC), was established by the DAA. The aim of the CADC is to provide a forum for senior stakeholders from a range of sectoral and geographic backgrounds who have an interest in the development of Cork Airport to engage with management at the airport and to help contribute to traffic and route growth. The Council is chaired by DAA Chairman Padráig Ó Ríordáin and comprises senior representatives from the tourism and business sectors in the Cork region who are actively engaged in achieving the goals set for the Council.
I believe that there are opportunities, particularly in the tourism sector, to grow incoming passenger numbers to the Cork region. I am calling on all relevant stakeholders to work together to exploit those opportunities and to deliver benefits not just for the airport but for the wider region.
In relation to the intention of Aer Lingus to suspend routes from its summer 2015 schedule, it is a matter for the airline to decide which routes it will serve based on its own commercial judgments, taking account of the demand for services. Any decision to suspend a route is an operational decision for Aer Lingus management. I am nevertheless disappointed by the decision of the Company in this instance.
I am aware that the DAA's objective is to halt the decline in passenger numbers in the short term and to return Cork Airport to growth in the future. I am confident that the DAA and Cork Airport management, working with stakeholders in the region, can achieve this objective.
