The Minister in his reply said that it was the determination of the Government to maintain Shannon as our sole trans-Atlantic airport. In pursuance of that will the Minister ask his senior Minister and the Government to pursue the possibility of asking Aer Lingus to turn about their trans-Atlantic fleet at Shannon as they did during the Aer Lingus strike? If we are serious about declaring Shannon as our main trans-Atlantic airport the Aer Lingus trans-Atlantic fleet should be based at Shannon and it should operate from there.

The Government's commitment is clear. They will maintain Shannon as the gateway to the North Atlantic and will pursue all measures and negotiations with all concerned to keep that situation as it is now.