Ireland's economy could be boosted by 10 per cent if airline routes to and from the United States are opened up, according to a report published this afternoon.
The report by the Chambers of Commerce Ireland (CCI) said if a liberal EU/US open area aviation agreement, or "Open Skies" agreement, is put in place, the main beneficiaries would be Aer Lingus and Dublin Airport.
The report's co-author, Mr Frederik Sørensen, said Cork Airport "should also be well positioned to take advantage of the new regime" but it may present "some difficulties" for Shannon "as any agreement will involve an unwinding of the current dual gateway status and airlines will no longer be . . . required to land at Shannon."
The report also found that there may be scope for limited transatlantic services from Cork, particularly when terminal capacity increases. Business opportunities for airports such as Knock and Kerry were "more problematic" because of their technical capacities.
CCI Chief Executive Mr John Dunne said there was an onus "on all parties in Ireland, Government, business and unions to prepare to seize this opportunity for the benefit of our economy in the future by building a business and regulatory environment that actively supports this vision."
The report was co-authored by Mr Sørensen and former finance minister and former Fine Gael leader Mr Alan Dukes. Mr Dukes is the Director General of the Institute of European Affairs.
Until his recent retirement, Mr Sørensen was Head of Air Transport Policy and External Aviation Relations for the EU Commission.
