27th Apr 2007 12:40
Ryanair Holdings PLC27 April 2007 MARTIN CULLEN PUTS SEMI STATE PROFITS BEFORE PASSENGER NEEDS Ryanair, today (Friday, 27th April 2007) condemned Transport Minister MartinCullen - the Minister for electronic voting machines - who last week subvertedthe independence of the Aviation Regulator by sending him a letter instructinghim to double passenger charges at Dublin Airport, and prioritise DAA profitsover passenger needs. Ryanair called on Minister Cullen and Bertie Ahern's Government to put passengerneeds before semi-state profits, by delivering the independent, competing secondterminal which was promised by this Government in its 2002 "Agreed Programme forGovernment". As a result of this Government's failure to deliver an independent secondterminal, the DAA monopoly now plans to waste €800m building a second terminalwhich could and should be built for less than €200m. The Aviation Regulator hasconfirmed that if these plans proceed, passenger charges at Dublin Airport willdouble. Now Minister Cullen has again subverted the independence of the AviationRegulator's office by instructing him to set charges which prioritise theprofitability of Dublin Airport over the needs of the travelling public. Ineffect, Minister Cullen has now ordered the Aviation Regulator to doublepassenger charges at Dublin Airport. Calling on Martin Cullen and this Government to honour their promise to deliveran independent competing second terminal, Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary said: "This is typical of this Minister and this Government. First they waste €50m onelectronic voting machines that don't work, now they allow the Dublin AirportAuthority (who manage one of the worst airports in Europe) to build a secondterminal which costs between four and eight times more than similar terminalselsewhere in Europe. "As usual this Minister and this Government's solution is to force the public topay for their mistakes. Passenger charges at Dublin Airport will double if theDAA monopoly's €800m plans go ahead. "Having appointed an independent Aviation Regulator, this Minister has nowinstructed him to double charges at Dublin Airport because semi-state profitsmatter more than passenger needs. Competition can fix the shambles at DublinAirport by improving services and reducing costs. Martin Cullen and the DAA'sonly solution is to double passenger charges. "This latest instruction from Martin Cullen to double passenger charges atDublin Airport again proves that we can't trust this Government on transport." Ends. 27th April, 2007 For further information, please contact: Peter Sherrard - Ryanair Pauline McAlester - MurrayConsultantsTel: 00 353 1 812 1228 Tel: 00 353 1 4980 300 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
RYA.L