Chopper scare can’t keep Cullen down

MARTIN Cullen said he suspected the Finance Minister had arranged a meeting with him in Dublin yesterday knowing well the Arts, Sports and Tourism Minister was going to be in Killarney.

But Mr Cullen said this was one meeting he was not going to miss.

He left the Irish Hotels Federation annual conference in Killarney yesterday just after 3pm and had an Air Corps helicopter waiting at the racecourse to rush him back to Dublin.

However, just after 3.30pm, the helicopter carrying Mr Cullen and one of his officials was forced to make a “precautionary landing” at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club when the left-hand side door of the helicopter fell off at a height of 500ft.

No one was injured in the incident, but witnesses said Mr Cullen was shaken. The minister was rushed to Kerry airport, but the only flight to Dublin was a Ryanair flight at 8.15pm.

The Defence Forces came to the rescue again, sending another AW139 helicopter which was on a training exercise in Cork to collect Mr Cullen.

No doubt a sigh of relief came from the minister, who earlier in the day proclaimed he would not be travelling economy class when he heads off to promote Ireland this St Patrick’s Day.

When asked about his travel plans for St Patrick’s Day, he said he’ll be travelling internationally and it won’t be economy.

He said he also won’t be travelling Ryanair as “they don’t fly where I’m going.”

The minister refused to say where he was heading to and his spokesperson would not confirm his plans last night.

The price of a return Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to New York between March 15 and March 19 costs €651.02 for economy class and €2,723.02 for business class — a difference of more than €2,000.

The minister did say, however, that St Patrick’s Day was a “great opportunity” to promote Ireland around the world.

Fine Gael’s Fergus O’Dowd said while it was fortunate nobody was injured in the helicopter scare, the incident raised questions about the use of Air Corps helicopters for ministerial travel.

“I am very pleased that nobody was injured. But in the present financial circumstances we have to ask about the cost effectiveness of using helicopters.

“When you think is there any other method of transport for ministers on a journey like this and there is — it is the ministerial car.

“I would like to know how much are trips like this costing, especially on a day when there is no Government business in the Dáil,” Mr O’Dowd added.