Coalition to agree on second terminal

THE Coalition parties seem set to agree a deal on the controversial second terminal at Dublin Airport on Wednesday.

FF and the PDs have been fiercely divided on the matter for the past three years, with the PDs demanding competition at the airport while Transport Minister Martin Cullen favours the State-owned Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) building and operating the second terminal.

Mr Cullen aggravated an already tense situation last week when he said there was no evidence anywhere else in the world that a competing terminal structure could work.

However, a form of words now seems to have been agreed.

The proposed terms are:

* The DAA will own the land on which the new terminal is built and oversee construction.

* The operation of the terminal will then be put out to tender and the DAA will be allowed to bid for the contract.

* The tender competition will take place after the next election because the terminal will take three or four years to build.