Tánaiste insists other options exist for Ryanair operation

The Tánaiste Mary Coughlan has insisted there are options other than hanger 6 available to facilitate Ryanair maintenance jobs at Dublin Airport.

Ryanair had proposed to locate 300 jobs at a maintenance operation based in hanger 6, but talks between the airlline and the Tánaiste to secure the jobs failed to lead to agreement yesterday. Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said the jobs would now go elsewhere in Europe.

"There's nothing more we can do…We're now going to continue to finalise our negotiations with one of the two other European airports and governments," he said.

Aer Lingus currently occupies hanger 6 under a lease arrangement with the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), and the Tánaiste said this could not be overturned.

She said Mr O'Leary had been "intransigent in what he wanted to achieve", but said she was prepared to look at other ways in which he could secure his maintenance operation in Dublin. Options include building a new hanger for the Ryanair operation.