New measures to ease overcrowding at Dublin Airport were sharply criticised by Ryanair's chief executive, Mr Michael O'Leary, last night.
He described the measures announced by the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, as "another entirely vacuous initiative by the Minister who has presided over the present shambles at Dublin Airport, the rapid escalation of prices and the stagnation of traffic from our largest market, the UK".
He said it was "typical" that "the only measure she can think of is the one advocated by Aer Rianta for the last 12 months and opposed by every single airline customer including Aer Lingus".
Ms O'Rourke said she would put a structure in place for allocating airline slots, as operated by most European capital city airports. Under measures she outlined at yesterday's Cabinet meeting, she was removing responsibility for slot (take off and landing times for aircraft) allocation from the airlines to a central, outside management body. She said the airlines submitted their schedules to each other and tried to reach agreement.
Aer Lingus spokesman Mr Declan Conroy said the move, coupled with agreement reached yesterday with Aer Rianta over other outstanding issues, was "good news".
Problems at the airport came to a head last weekend when congestion became so severe that some staff said they would not work in such conditions. The Airline Operators' Committee, representing the main carriers at the airport, wrote to Ms O'Rourke about Aer Rianta's lack of consultation on its new extension.
Aer Lingus had gone as far as reporting its concerns to the Health and Safety Authority and to Fingal County Council's chief fire officer, after representations from SIPTU and IMPACT. This week Mr Conroy said the airline would not use the extension until all its concerns were addressed. Yesterday he said agreement had been reached with Aer Rianta. "The agreement will certainly mean relief of congestion in the terminal building. We are staying in the existing terminal," he said.
Ms O'Rourke said the growth in passenger numbers at the airport, which will exceed 14 million people this year, and the £350 million enlargement of the airport, necessitated her action.
AER Lingus baggage handlers have voted by more than nine to one for strike action over a new salary scale, Padraig Yeates writes. .
The SIPTU branch secretary, Mr Tony Walsh, said the union would "favour resolution of the dispute by dialogue" but it had a mandate for industrial action. The company has offered to meet the union next week.
Aer Lingus is meeting IMPACT today on pilots' pay. The union's Irish Air Line Pilot's Association wants parity with British Airways and other carriers in the One World Alliance group. If no progress is made in today's talks IMPACT has said it will serve strike notice.
In a separate development, IALPA members met Ms O'Rourke to discuss air rage. Ms O'Rourke agreed in principle to introduce new legislation as soon as the International Civil Aviation Organisation draws up a model Bill for application internationally.
Afterwards Capt Frank Feeney of IALPA said Ms O'Rourke appreciated the urgency of the problem, as 90 per cent of pilots with the major carriers had had to deal with air rage. The Minister was also asked to promote training for ground staff, as potential air-rage passengers could usually be identified before boarding the aircraft.