Airport chairman pulls out of hearing

THE new chairman of the Cork Airport Authority has pulled out of a scheduled appearance before an Oireachtas hearing today.

Gerry Walsh, the former chief executive of Bord Gáis who was appointed as CAA chairman at the start of November, will not address the Joint Oireachtas Committee on transport this afternoon.

Mr Walsh had been invited to appear before the committee to outline the CAA’s views on Government plans to grant independence to the airport authorities at Cork and Shannon from their parent body, Dublin Airport Authority.