The draft report on airport charges at Dublin, Shannon and Cork Airports has been positively received by Aer Rianta and airlines using the airports.

Ryanair chief executive Mr Michael O'Leary described Aer Rianta's capital expenditure programme as "profligate and wasteful" and said he applauded the regulator's findings in relation to it.

"Ryanair has for some time pointed out to Minister O'Rourke that such profligacy was endemic in Aer Rianta.

"Despite this opposition, Aer Rianta has been allowed to build expensive and inefficient facilities without any consultation whatsoever," he claimed.

Mr O'Leary said he also welcomed the recognition by the regulator Mr Bill Prasifka that airlines using lower cost facilities should pay a lower charge for such facilities.

But an Aer Rianta spokesman said it could justify its capital expenditure.

"We believe we can justify our capital expenditure to the regulator's satisfaction and we intend to that," he added.

He said the company was obliged to earn a reasonable return on capital investments as a commercial organisation.

"But we're glad this report is out now because it gives us some direction of the structure which the regulator intends to apply in relation to airport charges."

He said Aer Rianta would be looking to impose the maximum charge at Dublin Airport and may even seek a higher charge.

"We believe we can justify the kind of charges we want at the airports and we believe we will go back to the regulator and do that. The game is on in other words."

Welcoming the proposals, an Aer Lingus spokesman said the airline would not comment on individual details until it had fully examined the document.

"We welcome the fact there is now an open and transparent process in place to deal with what is a complex issue," he said.

"Obviously this report is a draft and it has to be viewed in that context. We will have to study it in detail."