Brennan defends airport plan

TRANSPORT Minister Seamus Brennan yesterday dismissed concerns about the break-up of Aer Rianta following the leaking of more details of a damning report into the future of the company.

A PricewaterhouseCooper (PWC) report said Aer Rianta will lose €400 million by 2006 and Shannon Airport will continue to make losses until 2006, even if its debt is transferred to Dublin Airport as proposed.

However, speaking in Shannon yesterday, Mr Brennan said: “We can trade figures on this decision until we are blue in the face, but at the end of the day all they are is projections. This is a strategic Government decision which I think is the right one for Shannon and Cork airports.”