Calls for designated marketing fund for airports

There are calls for a special marketing fund for Shannon and Cork Airports to promote tourism in the West of Ireland.

The Government has recently given the go ahead to build a new low cost pier at Dublin airport and is seeking submissions for a second terminal there.

However, there are fears Dublin is being promoted at the expense of the rest of the country. Fine Gael TD Pat Breen says Aer Rianta's route support scheme should not include the capital's already busy airport.

"I'm disappointed that Dublin was included in this. We've already seen that Dublin is overcrowded taking in 14 million passengers a year with a projected increase to 30 million in 2020.

I think that we have to market the west cost of Ireland now and we must get together as a group from Donegal to Kerry and market the tourism in the West Coast of Ireland and I am calling on Minister Brennan to support this with marketing funds," he said.