Airport ‘sale of the century’ claim ridiculed

TRANSPORT Minister Martin Cullen provoked uproar yesterday as he branded a Government u-turn landing Cork Airport with debts of €100 million “the sale of the century”.

Opposition TDs ridiculed the minister’s “grasp on reality” and PD senator John Minihan distanced himself from the comments.

Mr Cullen insisted that the southern air hub would remain viable if it broke free from Dublin Airport Authority, despite being pushed deeply into the red.

“It is probably the sale of the century giving Cork Airport away — given the value of those assets — for €100m,” he said.

Mr Cullen said that it would be wrong for Dublin Airport passengers to foot the bill for Cork’s new terminal, despite the Government promising the southern hub would get debt-free operational independence in 2003.

Fine Gael justice spokesman Jim O’Keefe said the remarks were “stomach-turning” on the day Mr Cullen had announced a €22m boost to an airport in the minister’s own Waterford constituency. “It rubs salt in the wound for him to hand over €22m to his own constituency as he robs €100m from Cork. It is a stomach-turning betrayal of the people in the South-West by this government,” he said.

Green finance spokesman and Cork TD Dan Boyle warned the debts could have a disastrous impact on the airport’s viability.

“Mr Cullen’s remarks show he doesn’t live in the real world with the rest of us. The major concern should be whether Cork can remain viable with these debts and I would say that is questionable now,” he said.

Fianna Fáil TD and Government deputy chief whip Billy Kelleher said he had received assurances from Mr Cullen that land around the airport would come under Cork’s control.

The minister said Cork had to take its share of debts. “Dublin is going to have to take on €1bn to €1.5bn in debt. Are we seriously saying that the passengers going through Dublin Airport have to fund Cork or that Dublin can take on up to €1.5bn in debts and Cork cannot afford €100m having been given a brand new terminal worth €185m?”

Mr Cullen warned Cork Airport’s board not to sell off land around the site or push up passenger charges. “We have given Cork Airport a €180 million brand new terminal. So this idea of saddling Cork with €100m doesn’t stand up at all. Even if they take on that debt there would be no need to increase passenger charges at Cork Airport.

“All of the assets of Cork should be transferred to Cork. It would be very foolish of the board in Cork, if they got some of the land bank included, that they would sell it off.

“I would have thought as business people they would have wanted to develop the facility to the benefit of Cork and the region to develop the airport,” he said.