Independent Mayo TD Dr Jerry Cowley has called on the Government to forget about plans for a second terminal at Dublin airport and build one instead at Knock airport in Co Mayo. This he says would relieve growing congestion in the eastern region.
Dr Cowley said yesterday 15 to 18 million people used Dublin airport annually, which was projected to rise to 30 million annually in the next few years.
"Surely our nation and our long-suffering commuters would be better served by locating the proposed second terminal at Knock airport, which will accommodate just 400,000 passengers this year.
"The chaos at Dublin airport is a result of the failure to ensure balanced regional development, and locating the second terminal at Knock is the best way forward."
Chairman of the Council for the West Seán Hannick endorsed Dr Cowley's call "in principle" yesterday, but said that funding should be diverted to develop Knock airport's existing terminal.
He said the airport required a €41 million investment, but was already capable of handling international flights. "It should be designated as a national rather than regional airport."
Passenger numbers at Knock have more than doubled in the last five years and its figures for last year show a 51 per cent increase on 2003. The number of charter passengers also rose from 32,000 to 58,700, and it recently announced a new European city-breaks schedule.
The Council for the West maintains that Knock's development is key to greater State investment in the Border, Midlands and Western (BMW) region.
Earlier this week, Mayo Independent TD Beverley Flynn claimed that the under-spend in EU funding for the BMW region had reached close to €2 billion.
During a special debate on BMW regional development in the Dáil, Ms Flynn said that if reports of a Cabinet spend of €3.2 billion on infrastructure for the greater Dublin area were correct, the BMW region should be allocated funding of €1.6 billion for infrastructure on a pro-rata basis.
Ms Flynn also criticised the failure of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to attend the debate, and said the "people of the west were owed an explanation" for this.