Cullen urged to honour debt-free pledge made to airport by predecessor

Eoin English

Mr Cullen faces a grilling from politicians and business leaders who learned in April that Cork Airport Authority is facing a potentially crippling E160 million debt.

This is despite a pledge in 2003 from Mr Cullen's predecessor Séamus Brennan that Cork and Shannon airports would start operations debt-free after the break-up of Aer Rianta. "When I establish the independent Shannon and Cork authorities on a statutory basis they will both commence business free of debt," Mr Brennan said in July 2003.