Dublin Airport Authority board announced

Former chief executive of the Jefferson Smurfit Group Gary McGann has been appointed chief executive designate of the new Dublin Airport Authority.

McGann will be joined on the board by the former Chief Executive of the British Airport Authority Sir Michael Hodgkinson.

The board is completed by Colm Barrington, Marie O'Connor, Bill Cullen, Anthony Spollen, Mary Davis and Desmond Cummins.

Transport Minister Seamus Brennan indicated that the Government had approved the drafting of the amending legislation necessary to establish Dublin, Cork and Shannon as fully independent and autonomous airport authorities under State ownership.

The final text of that legislation - the State Airports Bill 2003 - would be before Dail Eireann soon while the three new Airport Authorities would be established on a full statutory basis "well within" the timeframe of 12 months proposed in July 2003.

Brennan said today: "The new board-designate of the Dublin Airport Authority brings together people of the highest calibre and combines considerable international and national aviation expertise with proven financial and business acumen.

"The establishment on a full statutory basis of the three airport authorities will enable them to complete detailed business and marketing plans in the new context going forward."

Dublin Airport has grown by more than a third in the past five years and reached almost 16 million passengers last year.

The capital's airport accounts for nearly 80% of the total passenger traffic through the three State Airports and traffic at the airport is expected to reach 30 million passengers by around 2020.