Cork Airport will remain "in the Aer Rianta family" at least for the immediate future, the Minister for Public Enterprise said in Cork yesterday.
Speaking at the Government's Consultative Forum, Ms O'Rourke said it was her personal view that the Aer Rianta airports should not be sold simply to swap a State near-monopoly for a private one. She was making her comments after members of the Government were confronted with signs declaring "Cork Airport - not for sale" when they arrived in Cork yesterday morning.
Ms O'Rourke revealed that she would be bringing the consultants' report on the future of Aer Rianta to Cabinet next Tuesday and a number of actions would then be debated. She stressed that any decisions on the future of the company, which owns the Great Southern Hotels group, would then be a matter for the Cabinet. Responding to questions from Mr Tom O'Driscoll, a regional assembly member from Cork, Ms O'Rourke said yesterday was the first time it had been suggested to her that Cork be opened up for transatlantic flights. It was an interesting question, she said, but she wondered "what your colleagues in Shannon would think of it".
She also said that an "open skies policy" which had been put forward by some transport ministers at the European Council of Ministers had not been on the agenda for some time. She did not expect it to arise in the near future.
In relation to the non-State-owned regional airports Ms O'Rourke said that "in a modern economy, ease of air access is a must". While there was just £11 million in the national development plan for regional airports, she said, this was a matter of "matching funding pound for pound" and the total investment would be double that amount. Regional airports also receive a subsidy calculated on the number of passengers.
The Minister said she had met representatives of Waterford Regional Airport last year and they had outlined their development plan. "We will be going down that road some of the way with them", she added.
In relation to Kerry airport, the Minister said the Government would support the daily flights between Kerry and Dublin and added that "it is important that the route continues to be serviced."