Unlawful to move Aer Lingus from hangar - Cowen

TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has told the Dáil that the Government cannot “act unlawfully” by removing Aer Lingus from a hangar for which they had a lease and putting in Ryanair.

He was speaking during heated exchanges in the Dáil during the continuing controversy about the proposal for 300 aircraft maintenance jobs at Dublin airport.

Mr Cowen insisted that the jobs could be created at Dublin airport with two existing hangars, or the building of a new hangar.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny claimed Mr Cowen was not in charge and that the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) was running the country in the row about Ryanair’s proposal that it lease or buy a hangar currently leased by Aer Lingus.

Mr Kenny said the failure to reach an agreement with Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary was “failure by excuse”.

He called on Mr Cowen to intervene personally and call Mr O’Leary’s bluff, if he thought he was bluffing.

“You own 100 per cent of DAA and 25 per cent of Aer Lingus. Ryanair owns a further 29 per cent of the latter. You can intervene, as you did in other cases, to secure these jobs,” he said in reference to the Government’s intervention to rescue the banks.

Mr Cowen insisted, however, that whatever Mr Kenny thought, “the Government and State bodies cannot act unlawfully”.

The Government “cannot direct a company in which it owns shares to breach a contract”.

The Taoiseach said there was a competition for the lease in November which Ryanair did not compete for, to “take the hangar which it contends will play such a part in creating these jobs”.

Criticising Mr Kenny he said “the suggestion here is forget about the law”, that it was a case simply of “taking out Aer Lingus, putting in Ryanair and away we go”.

But Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore claimed it was not a case of anyone acting unlawfully. “The problem is you’re not acting at all,” he said.

Mr Gilmore and Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism Martin Cullen repeatedly clashed when the Labour leader mentioned the loss of jobs at Waterford Crystal.

Mr Gilmore said that if they still had the money Mr Cullen had wasted on electronic voting they might have saved jobs at Waterford.

An outraged Mr Cullen shouted back: “That’s completely untrue. That’s untrue and you know it.”

But Mr Gilmore said “it is amazing how this incompetent, wasteful Government can take decisive decisions doing daft things but the Government parties can take no decision when it comes to trying to save the jobs of people in SR Technics, Cadbury’s, Waterford Glass, Dell and other businesses”.

But Mr Cowen insisted that the jobs could be created and there were options with other hangars or a new hangar.