A Mayo county councillor has urged the county manager and his fellow councillors to raise a private loan of £1.5 million to provide a water and sewerage scheme for Knock airport.
Mr John Flannery (FG) claimed the recent announcement of £25 million support for Galway airport by Esat chairman Mr Denis O'Brien was "a big worry for Knock airport".
His party colleague, Mayo TD Mr Michael Ring, has accused the Government of undermining the airport at Knock. "This proposal by Minister Eamon O Cuiv to build a new airport on a greenfield site on Government property in Galway is another example of bad Government policy. This flies in the face of proper regional planning and development."
Mr Flannery said the plans for the scheme have been on the desk of the Minister, Mr Noel Dempsey, for the past 18 months. "The whole project has been designed, costed and planned, yet nothing is happening. There can be no development around Knock airport without the proper infrastructure."
Mr Flannery claimed the project was being "long-fingered" by everybody. "The board of Knock airport has not even included the project as part of its marketing plan," he said.
Mr Flannery also said successive ministers had failed the airport. "We have to do it ourselves if we are to succeed and keep Knock airport going."