THE subject of airport charges, which has caused angry words to be exchanged in the past between the State airports operator, Aer Rianta, and the privately owned airline, Ryanair, was back in the news again this week.

The Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Mr Lowry, met the board of Aer Rianta on Wednesday and, in a statement afterwards, said charges at the three main airports here compared favourably with charges elsewhere in Europe. However, he questioned whether Aer Rianta could not be even more competitive, given the growth in revenue and passenger numbers at Irish airports and at Dublin Airport especially.

Aer Rianta, in its statement, said it had been steadily reducing its charges for a number of years. "In response to the Minister, however, our board will be examining what opportunities exist for further reductions to stimulate growth."

Ryanair, we can be sure, will be among those keeping a close eye.