Coalition gulf deepens over second airport terminal

THE embarrassing political impasse between the Coalition partners over a second terminal for Dublin Airport showed no sign of being resolved yesterday as yet another Cabinet meeting came and went without a decision being reached.

After a week of continued behind-the-scenes manoeuvring between Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Tánaiste Mary Harney and Transport Minister Martin Cullen, the ideological gulf between the Progressive Democrats and Fianna Fáil remained so wide that the matter was not even discussed at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.

Discussions have been ongoing since before Easter after Ms Harney indicated there would have to be competition between the terminals.