Ryanair News


News Release
30.09.05

MINISTER CULLEN BREAKS HIS OWN
TERMINAL 2 PROMISES AND SAFEGUARDS

MINISTER FOR E-VOTING FIASCO EXPECTS PASSENGERS TO PAY 50% HIGHER COSTS YET WAIT FOUR YEARS FOR TERMINAL

Ryanair, Ireland’s largest airline, today (Friday, 30th September 2005) criticised the failure of Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen TD to keep his promises in relation to Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport.

In a speech dated 18th May 2005, Minister Cullen awarded Terminal 2 to the Dublin Airport Authority, the people who have so spectacularly mismanaged Terminal 1. In doing so however Minister Cullen claimed to have provided a “triple safeguard” to ensure maximum efficiency and cost effectiveness of Terminal 2. He declared these three safeguards would be as follows;

Minister Cullen’s statement - 18th May, 2005

1. Consultation “The DAA will consult in detail with the relevant airline operators” to ensure that “Terminal 2 would be designed to meet the requirements of airlines servicing Dublin Airport”. (BROKEN PROMISE - SEE BELOW)

2. Verification “Final specifications and costings of Terminal 2 will be independently verified by aviation experts”. (BROKEN PROMISE - SEE BELOW)

3. Regulation “In setting airport charges, the Commission for Aviation Regulation in its independent statutory role will ensure that charges reflect costs appropriate to the building of an efficient terminal”. (BROKEN PROMISE - SEE BELOW)


In the space of just four months, each of these three promised safeguards have been ignored by Minister Cullen, the Government and the DAA.

1. The plans for Terminal 2 and the new Masterplan for Dublin Airport were announced this week without consultation with Ryanair, Ireland’s largest airline and one of the largest airline users of Dublin Airport.

2. There has been no verification of the final specifications and costings of Terminal 2 by airline users or any independent aviation experts.

3. In the case of regulation, the Commissioner of Aviation Regulation’s independent statutory role has been compromised because Minister Cullen has directed the Aviation Regulator to prioritise the facilities and finances of Dublin Airport, instead of prioritizing the needs of consumers by “ensuring that charges reflected costs appropriate to the building of an efficient terminal” as he had claimed would happen in May last.

In the space of four short months, this Minister - who previously wasted over €50m on electronic voting machines - has awarded the second terminal to the same people who so spectacularly mismanaged the first terminal. He promised three safeguards “to ensure maximum efficiency and cost effectiveness of Terminal 2”, and yet within four months he has ignored each of these three safeguards. No consultation has taken place with airline users. No verification of the final specifications and costings have taken place, and this Minister is already directing the Aviation Regulator to increase charges to consumers by up to 50% from 1 January, 2006, some four years before the second terminal will become available to those consumers.

Highlighting 3 of the latest broken promises by Minister Cullen, Ryanair’s Chief Executive, Michael O’Leary, said:

“Is it any wonder that transport in Ireland is in such a mess. The cars don’t fit on the M50, the trucks don’t fit in the port tunnel and the passengers clearly don’t fit through the inadequate facilities at Dublin Airport. The taxpayers of Ireland have already paid enough for Minister Cullen’s incompetence on e-voting machines. Had this Government kept its promises, we would now have a competing second terminal at Dublin Airport at no cost to the taxpayer, with better services and lower charges to consumers.

“Instead we have a Minister awarding a contract for the second terminal to the same Government monopoly who have so comprehensively mismanaged the first one. A Minister, who instead of complying with the three safeguards promised to passengers and voters last May, has totally ignored them.

“Passengers have already suffered enough at Dublin Airport this Summer, because of this Minister’s failure to proceed with an independent terminal at Dublin Airport. This latest announcement on Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport, and the failure to honour any of the three safeguards he promised last May for delivering maximum efficiency and cost effectiveness of Terminal 2, means that the “Rip-Off Republic” continues and Irish passengers and visitors will continue to suffer inadequate facilities, long queues and a 50% hike in charges, all as a result of this Minister’s stunning incompetence and total disregard for the people of this country”.

 



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