O’LEARY IN DESP-AIR AFTER RYAN MEETING
RYANAIR boss Michael O’leary has accused Ireland’s transport minister Eamon Ryan of sending out the message that the country is “closed for business”.
Following a meeting between the two men, Mr O’leary said a failure to lift the passenger cap at Dublin Airport meant that airline business was now being sent to other parts of Europe.
Mr Ryan said they had concentrated on issues rather than personalities.
The conference occurred one week after the airline executive launched a personal broadside against the minister in a row over passenger caps at the airport.
Last week, Mr O’leary said Mr Ryan and tourism minister Catherine Martin were “dunces” for failing to act on the airline’s demands to remove the cap
limiting Dublin Airport to 32 million passengers per year.
The Ryanair boss said the Green Party politicians should raise the passenger cap or leave politics.
Following yesterday’s meeting, Mr O’leary said: “We met for an hour, there wasn’t any meeting of minds.
“We are very critical of his failure as minister for transport in implementing Ireland’s aviation policy, which is to grow traffic, grow aviation jobs and grow the
contribution of aviation to the Irish economy.
“He essentially said to us he is not going to intervene in the matter of the
Dublin Airport cap; he has this excuse that it would render the whole planning process in Ireland redundant.”
Mr O’leary added: “Eamon Ryan has essentially told us despite the fact that his own aviation policy is to grow, he’s now telling us sorry I’m not going to take any action.”
Mr Ryan said the two men had disagreed over the passenger cap, but had more agreement discussing sustainable aviation fuels.
He said: “There were important things we needed to talk about, if it turns into a personal thing you miss the real story.”