The prospect of a new private terminal at Dublin Airport received a boost yesterday when the airport regulator Mr Bill Prasifka said independent terminals had worked elsewhere in the world.

Mr Prasifka said his office, the Commission for Aviation Regulation, did not have a position on an independent terminal in Dublin, but experience around the world showed that independent terminals could work.

"Most terminals that are in separate ownership do work well," he said.

He was speaking at a press briefing on the work of the commission, which was set up in February 2001.

Mr Prasifka said it would not be appropriate for him to comment on whether such a project in Dublin would be successful or not, but experience around the world suggested privately run terminals could prosper.

He said one of the most well known was John F Kennedy Airport in New York, where several independent terminals operate. He said while it had suffered as a result of 9/11, the operations there had been successful for many years.

Aer Rianta for many years has used the model of Toronto airport to suggest that privately owned terminals do not work, but Mr Prasifka said independent terminals were the norm across the United States and Canada. His colleague, Mr Cathal Guiomard, head of economic affairs, said independent terminals were also common in Australia and New Zealand. "There are many cases where they work," he said.

Mr Prasifka said if a new terminal got the go-ahead from the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, the assumptions underpinning his last determination on Aer Rianta's charges would be altered.

"It would be a very significant change from our point of view," he said.

Asked whether his office wanted to regulate the regional airports, he replied: "We never volunteer anything and we never refuse anything."

However, he said at present his office could only regulate airports with annual traffic of more than one million passengers. He said the busiest regional airport only catered for about 200,000 passengers each year.