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Flights from Dublin to Donegal and Kerry have been thrown a two-year lifeline as the Government confirmed it will extend State aid to both services.

We call on the Government to review Irish energy policy in light of recent changes in renewable power technologies. 

The future of daily flights from Kerry Airport on the Kerry/Dublin route depends on the continuation of a strong government subsidy.

Wind and renewable energies make up just 10% of the approximate €210m in subsidies that domestic and commercial electricity customers are forced to pay in their electricity bills to support power plants in this country.

A county development plan for Kerry will be supportive of small indigenous industries, it was stated yesterday.

Transport Minister Leo Varadkar has said that public transport operators have little option but to increase fares.

Kerry Airport made a tiny operating profit last year, but passenger numbers dropped by 8%, according to the company’s annual report and accounts for the year ending Dec 31 last.

RYANAIR said it would resume operating flights from Cork and Kerry to Dublin if airport costs were cut and the subsidised routes were scrapped.

THERE is intense competition to operate Government-funded flights between Kerry and Dublin it emerged last night with several operators submitting tenders to run twice daily services.

A FULL, subsidised air service between Kerry and Dublin may not be restored until the end of the year.

The Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has said he is not making any promises about the retention of the State-subsidised Public Service Obligation levy for flights from Dublin to Kerry and other regional airports.

MICHEÁL MARTIN swept through Enda Kenny’s heartland promising to revive the tourism industry if he successfully thwarts the Fine Gael leader’s bid to become taoiseach.

The Government has agreed to support the continued Public Service Obligation on air routes between Donegal and Dublin airport, and on the Kerry to Dublin route.

KERRY Airport, supported by political, business and tourism interests in the county, is to step up its campaign to have the subsidised service on the Kerry to Dublin route restored in July.

TOURISM and business interests locally have warned the future of Kerry Airport could depend on the continuation of a government subsidy, through the Public Service Obligation (PSO) contract payment.

RYANAIR has accused the Government of failing to act to save the airline’s Kerry-Dublin service because it favours the semi-state companies to private sector organisations.

RYANAIR chief Michael O’Leary is due in Kerry today and is expected to spell out the reasons for his airline’s major reduction in services on the Kerry to Dublin route.

POLITICAL parties and independents in Kerry County Council yesterday united to campaign for the retention of airline services to Dublin.

PLANS to cut the cash support for regional airports have been criticised as failing to recognise the value of air access to isolated areas.

THE future of regional airports such as Kerry, Galway and Sligo is in serious doubt as the Government looks at cutting vital subsidies as part of €3 billion of savings to be made in December’s Budget.

The future of regional airports is being put in doubt as a result of the Government’s decision to consider cutting subsidies as part of the €3 billion savings required in the December Budget.

TRANSPORT Minister Noel Dempsey was yesterday called on to enter into immediate talks with Aer Arann and Aer Lingus to replace services controversially withdrawn by Ryanair from the Kerry/Dublin route.

BORD Gáis and Airtricity will be increasing their electricity prices in line with the ESB when the public service obligation (PSO) levy is introduced in October.

GREEN PARTY policies will result in a 10% hike in electricity prices this autumn and push many families and businesses into crisis, according to Fine Gael.

CUSTOMERS are facing hikes of 4%-5% in their electricity bills as the Energy Regulator has given its approval to the placing of a €157 million levy on all electricity users.

The Irish Hotels Federation has rejected as outrageous the decision by the Commission on Energy Regulation (CER) to impose an additional levy on electricity customers from October 1.

REGIONAL airports, including Kerry, Galway, Donegal and Knock, face closure under Government plans to stop funding them in its capital spending programme for the next five years.

ONLY five Irish international airports will be sustainable into the future and European funding will be vital, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said yesterday.

THE future of regional airports such as Kerry, Galway and Donegal are again in the spotlight after the Bord Snip report said they should no longer benefit from state funding.

CUTS of more than €127 million in the transport sector have been proposed by An Bord Snip Nua as the report left virtually no area untouched.

LOCATED on the Atlantic seaboard in the extreme north-west, Donegal Airport is the country’s most remote regional airport with the smallest catchment area of any in the state.

AS compliments go it was as impressive as it was rare.

Regional airports may have to look to international destinations to bring in some public service obligation funding, finds Seán McCárthaigh.

Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey TD, today announced that following an EU Public Tender process, contracts to provide scheduled air services on the six Public Service Obligation (PSO) regional air routes have been offered to three airlines - Aer Arann, CityJet and Ryanair.

HOPES that a Shannon-Heathrow service could be restored after the controversial axing of the route by Aer Lingus last month have received a big setback after the Government indicated this week that EU funding would not be available for a new operator.

THE news that businesses from Germany, France and Britain have been contacting companies in the Shannon catchment area in an effort to ‘poach’ industries should not surprise us.

Sustainable Energy Ireland stated today that an increases in wind power capacity on the national grid will benefit consumers with €30m savings in 2007.

The ISEQ gained 68.51 points this morning to stand at 7463.15 at 10.30am.

Ryanair has welcomed the EU Commission's announcement of an inquiry into the abuse of PSO rules to block competition from low-fare airlines and protect high-fare Italian airlines.

ESB customers already paying VAT on their bills had to fork out more than €100 million last year to cover a controversial separate levy.

THE need to implement a €6m proposal to improve facilities at Kerry Airport was highlighted yesterday.