A government minister has called for a review of the “confidential” landing fees deal between Ryanair and Shannon Airport as part of an overhaul of the State’s draft aviation policy.

With Ryanair passenger numbers at Shannon set to climb by more than 300,000 to 750,000 this year, the airline’s chief executive Michael O’Leary has said Cork Airport needs to respond to low charges being offered at the midwest airport and others across Europe.

The head of the country’s second-largest lender has thrown his weight behind the Central Bank’s proposed mortgage restrictions, saying that he agrees with the principles on which they are based.

Airport charges at Dublin Airport are set to fall by 19%, on a cumulative basis, over the next five years — 3% more than originally envisaged.

Anyone who has flown from Dublin, Cork or Belfast into T1 in Heathrow will recall how long a trek it was to arrivals. Well say goodbye to all that, and hello to the bright, shiny T2.

Plans to develop a stately home and 400-acre park into one of the country’s top tourist attractions have already received a major boost.

There is an urgent need to free Cork Airport from the dead hand of Dublin.

Figures released by the Irish Aviation Authority have revealed that while commercial terminal traffic for Shannon, Dublin and Cork airports for the period January to November 2014 was up by 6.2%, Cork Airport’s standalone figures are dropping compared to last year.

Shannon Airport recorded a pre-tax profit of €149,000 in its first year as an independent airport, figures show.

THE McCarthy report says Ireland should review salaries paid to employees of semi-state companies by comparing them with other countries, especially Britain.

Policy context of asset sales

THE sell-off of the state airports at Dublin, Cork and Shannon is expected to be one of the more controversial recommendations contained in a new report due to be presented to the Government later this week.

AER LINGUS chief executive Christoph Mueller offered the hope that staff will not be subjected to possible pay cuts until next year at the earliest, with the airline committed to “finding other ways” to lower costs.

PADDY Power is committed to job creation in Ireland, despite the effect of the proposed tax on revenues from online operations potentially putting it at a disadvantage to some of its competitors.

THE Minister for Tourism, Mary Hanafin wrote to the Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan in the run-up to the budget urging him to suspend the contentious €10 air travel tax for two years.

A GROUP of airline, tourism and economics experts will come together next month to debate the future of Shannon Airport which suffered the worst decline in passenger figures of any European airport in 2010.

SHANNON Airport Authority “should 100% receive” the €3.5 million Ryanair paid to the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) for breach of the five-year contract with Shannon Airport on passenger charges.

CONTACTS were continuing yesterday between Aer Lingus and the Department of Enterprise concerning a controversial ‘leave and return’ redundancy deal involving 715 workers at the airline in 2008.

IN justifying his decision in 2007 to enter government Green Party leader John Gormley cited advice given to him during coalition negotiations by Mary Harney, a woman who at that stage had been a senior minister for 10 years (and who had been a junior minister earlier in her career).