Madam, - Your correspondent Tim O' Brien suggests (The Irish Times, July 4th) that as part of its significant budgetary requirement for major transport infrastructure, "the State also needs to finance the proposed new terminal at Dublin Airport which is to be built by 2009 and the Pier D project to increase capacity, by 2007."
This is not the case. It has long been Government policy not to fund airport infrastructure at Dublin, Shannon or Cork Airports directly from the Exchequer. Instead Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), as a fully commercial semi-state company, will continue to finance the significant development programme required at Dublin Airport, including the proposed second passenger terminal and the new aircraft stand facility currently known as Pier D. The capital required will be sourced from a combination of DAA's own commercial revenues, debt finance and, hopefully, an appropriate level of airport charges as determined by the Commission for Aviation Regulation from next October. - Yours, etc,
VINCENT WALL, Director of Communications, Dublin Airport Authority, Dublin Airport.