The Government will soon be advised that developing Casement Aerodrome at Baldonnel into Dublin's second airport is not a practical proposition. More's the pity. There can be little doubt that Dublin - and the flying public - would benefit from the existence of a second Dublin airport. The cost of upgrading Baldonnel would be significant and the risk that it might at some stage require State funding cannot be dismissed lightly but most major ventures entail a degree of risk. The proposal deserves serious study and should not be rejected merely because vested interests oppose it.
Ryanair, through its chairman Dr Tony Ryan, has urged the Government to allow it develop Baldonnel into a no-frills airport. It would, says Ryanair, cost £50 million, all of which could be raised from the private sector. It would provide employment, building up to 10,000 jobs over a seven-year period. Ryanair would lease the land it needs and leave the Air Corps in charge of the non-terminal element.
The Ryanair proposal was not born of altruism. It came about because the airline is in deep dispute with Aer Rianta, the State body which runs Dublin Airport, over landing charges. Ryanair, now firmly established as a low-cost carrier between Ireland and the UK, wants to develop low-cost European routes such as Paris, Rome and Brussels. But building up low-cost routes out of Dublin Airport is not on, says Dr Ryan, because of the landing charges that Aer Rianta would levy.
Aer Rianta rejects suggestions that its landing charges are too high but its arguments are unpersuasive. It is true that Dublin charges have not been raised since 1987 but neither have they come down. Landing-charges now account for a much higher proportion of airline operation costs than used be the case. Airlines using Dublin have cut their overheads dramatically and the airport's traffic - and profits - have grown as a consequence. But Aer Rianta does not levy lower charges on airlines which set lower fares. Maybe it should. Aer Rianta does offer lower charges for new routes but only for three years. Dr Ryan reckons that much lower charges at a "no-frills" Baldonnel are the answer and if the Government doesn't agree then Ryanair's European routes will be run out of Stansted; much as CityJet plans to do out of the fast and efficient London City Airport.
Dublin Airport handled eight million passengers last year. Aer Rianta plans to spend £95 million over the next 10 years which will allow it handle up to 14 million passengers; the funds coming from profits rather, than the Exchequer. Aer Rianta is a dynamic organisation. It is driven on the basis of maximising profits (which is to be applauded) but it must be careful, in operating airports, not to impair long-term, development in the chase for short term profits. And it has, of course, almost a monopoly grip on airports in the State. Dublin Airport is not without its problems, especially at peak travel times. Maybe Baldonnel is not a practical proposition at the moment - although when a new terminal is planned for Dublin Airport it may be a different matter. But if it rejects the proposal the Government should explain its reasoning in full.