New airport at Dublin would not pose air traffic control problems, says aviation authority

A NEW commercial airport in west Dublin would create no technical problems for air traffic control it emerged yesterday. Aer Rianta wants to build a €100m runway at Dublin airport but a second airport at Baldonnell is also being mooted.

Chief Executive of the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) Brian McDonnell says there is no technical bar to the creation of a second commercial airport in Dublin. He stressed any decision to develop a new airport was a political policy matter "Once we are included in the planning stage there should be no problems," he said.

Addressing the Irish Examiner Cork Chamber of Commerce business breakfast Mr McDonnell said he cannot understand why air-traffic control fees are so dear in other countries compared to Ireland. Mr McDonnell said that the IAA is engaged in an 85m investment programme.

The next phase on the development is the construction of a new 9m control tower at Cork airport, to be located across the runway from the existing tower which was built in the early 1960s. The new tower is due to open in December 2004.

The IAA is to finance the 85m investment programme itself. A limited company, it reported pre-tax profits of 5.6m and paid more than 2m in dividends and tax on profits to the exchequer in 2001.