O’Dea in U-turn on Cabinet demands

DEFENCE Minister Willie O’Dea yesterday climbed down on his demand that the Government intervene to prevent Aer Lingus transferring its Heathrow slots from Shannon Airport to Belfast.

The Government holds a 25% stake in the airline but has repeatedly stressed it will not interfere with what it regards as a “commercial decision” by Aer Lingus.

However, in his capacity as a TD representing the mid-west region, Mr O’Dea had been a harsh critic of that stance in recent weeks.