Harney clashes with Cullen on second Dublin terminal
Tánaiste Mary Harney tonight clashed with Transport Minister Martin Cullen over his plans for a second terminal for Dublin Airport.
The airport is experiencing significant overcrowding problems with the increase in passengers from 12 million in 2002 to 18 million last year.
Ms Harney criticised Mr Cullen’s plan to allow the second terminal to be built and operated by the Dublin Airport Authority rather than an independent company.
“Generally speaking you don’t get efficiencies when you have monopolies. You do get efficiencies when you have competition. We want the least expensive terminal we can have, run as efficiently as possible.”
Ryanair and business people such as the McEvaddy brothers, who own land beside Dublin airport, favour an independently-operated terminal.
However, it is opposed by SIPTU, which represents the majority of staff at the existing terminal in Dublin airport
Ms Harney said that despite Mr Cullen’s statement, no final decision had been made on the second terminal at cabinet level.
“I don’t think it’s very helpful for cabinet colleagues to be discussing an issue in a public way like this,” she told RTE radio.
Mr Cullen said the Tánaiste was entitled to express her views. “They all play in to the mix but you have to stand back and take a decision based on the overall development of aviation and Government policy. I will not deal with them in isolation.”
He said he would bring proposals to cabinet to sell a majority stake in Aer Lingus to private investors because the company needed funds to secure its future.
“I’m pretty clear that to maximise the value of the company for the benefit of the company going forward, it needs to be a majority sale.”
Mr Cullen said the timing of the sale would depend on the state of the stock market and the aviation sector, as well as the credibility of the new Aer Lingus management.
