Ryanair calls on government to keep airport open despite strike
25-Mar-2009 |
Airline Code [RYR]
View More Ryanair News
Tags :UK, Ryanair
Ryanair called (24-Mar-09) on the Department of Transport - the downtown office of the DAA - to ensure that Ireland’s main Airport is kept open next Monday, even if the overpaid, underworked semi-state employees of the DAA and IAA monopolies decide to go on strike at a time when traffic to/from Dublin Airport is collapsing.
Traffic at Dublin Airport has fallen 12% in the first two months of this year, and is set to fall further. Ryanair believes that there should be substantial job cuts, pay cuts and productivity increases at Dublin Airport to reflect this lower traffic, but there is no excuse for these public sector strikes.
Ryanair believes there would be no question of Dublin Airport being closed if Bertie Ahern’s Government had honoured its 2003 promise to deliver a competing second terminal at Dublin Airport. It is interesting that the UK’s Competition Commission has recently proposed this competition solution on the UK’s BAA airport monopoly, by forcing the sale of Gatwick and Stansted airports, and proposing competing terminals be developed at Heathrow.
Ryanair again calls on the Government to break up the DAA monopoly by selling off Cork and Shannon airports and allowing for the development of a competing third terminal at the high cost, inefficient Dublin Airport. This would prevent forever any chance of Dublin Airport being closed by Government protected public sector trade unions.
Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said:
“There is no justification for any strikes next Monday by overpaid, semi-state workers at the DAA who despite a recession and the collapse in traffic, enjoy total job security. The only reason these people can close Dublin Airport is because the DAA is a Government owned monopoly where the public sector unions have repeatedly closed Ireland’s main international airport.
“It is up to the Government to ensure that Dublin Airport remains open either by facing down this public sector strike or better still calling in the army to keep air traffic control and airport security operating next Monday.
“The image of the Irish economy has suffered enough without Ireland’s main airport being closed by a small group of public sector trade unions who are completely insulated from the realities of the current recession and the stark choices facing private sector companies and their employees. Dublin Airport is a high cost, inefficient, Government owned monopoly, and it is about time this Government stood up to these public sector trade unions. If these head bangers go on strike at a time of enormous traffic declines at Dublin Airport, then the Government should impose 12% job cuts at Dublin Airport and Air Traffic Control to reflect the reduced work load being guaranteed by the reduced traffic numbers which will pass through Dublin Airport this year. If the public sector unions close Dublin Airport next Monday, they should be told in no uncertain terms that job cuts will immediately follow”. (c) Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 25-Mar-09
For in-depth analysis of the low cost airline sector worldwide, subscribe now to the peerless Peanuts! Weekly
|
Other Ryanair News |
Ryanair calls on government to keep airport open despite strike 
