asked the Minister for Defence if he will consider making arrangements whereby Casement Airport at Baldonnel could be partially used as a commercial airport.
Ceisteann—Questions. Oral Answers. - Casement Airport.
105.
Casement Aerodrome, County Dublin, is equipped and staffed to meet military requirements only.
An application submitted by a commercial concern for permission to use the aerodrome is under consideration. I shall communicate with the Deputy as soon as a decision on that application has been reached.
I was not referring to that sort of possibility. I really wanted to find out if it would be possible to use Baldonnel in emergency conditions because very often when there is fog at Dublin Airport, planes are diverted to Shannon while there may be no fog at Baldonnel. I know of several instances in Europe where there is both a military and a civilian airport in operation at the same time. It seems to be a terrible waste of the amount of public money that went into the making of the runways at Baldonnel to use them so little.
I do not agree that the provision of adequate runway facilities and base facilities for the air corps is a waste of money.
I did not say it was a waste of money. I mean that they are not fully utilised.
I beg the Deputy's pardon but I understood him to say that it was a waste of money.
Only from the point of view that the aerodrome is not fully utilised.