Madam, - Dublin Airport was threatened with runway closure for the third time in nine months because just 10 fire personnel were refusing to provide necessary fire cover at the airport.
The manager of Aer Rianta's Dublin Airport, Mr Bob Hilliard, put forward as an excuse for the planned runway closure the fact neither Dublin Fire Brigade nor Army personnel were "sufficiently trained" to provide emergency fire cover at Dublin Airport.
Aer Rianta must now train sufficient Dublin Fire Brigade and/or Army personnel to provide the necessary emergency fire cover at Dublin Airport in order to prevent any future airport closures. Ryanair calls on the Department of Transport to ensure this happens, so that we can avoid the country being held to ransom yet again.
It is unacceptable that the Board of Aer Rianta and the Department of Transport continually fail to keep the runways at Dublin Airport - an essential national service - open, simply because they have no effective contingency plan in place. - Yours, etc.,
PAUL FITZSIMMONS, Head of Communications, Ryanair, Dublin Airport.