Ryanair Regrets The Departure of Declan Collier From DAA Monopoly

Ryanair today (15th Nov) said it regrets the departure of Declan Collier from the DAA monopoly where he has wasted €1.2bn developing the unnecessary T2 (despite its original budget of €170m – €200m), and presided over four consecutive years of traffic reductions from 23.5m at Dublin in 2008 to just over 18m in 2011. Mr Collier has also delivered record traffic declines at Cork and Shannon airports.

Having accumulated debts of over €700m in the DAA monopoly, Mr Collier’s departure means that he will not be forced to tidy-up his own mess, reverse the DAA’s record traffic losses, or explain how he blew €1.2bn on a terminal which he originally said would cost less than one sixth of the final figure.

Ryanair regrets that a new boss will be appointed to the DAA monopoly who will spend the next few years absolving himself/ herself of any responsibility for Declan Collier’s €1.2bn T2 or the record traffic collapses at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said

“We regret Mr Collier’s untimely departure from the DAA monopoly. Having wasted €1.2bn on the white elephant T2 and presided over record traffic declines at Dublin, Cork and Shannon he will no longer have to explain or rectify his gross mismanagement of the DAA airport monopoly. Following the example of his banker buddies in AIB, he is leaving this legacy of neglect to the Irish taxpayer and tourism industry.

Perhaps his departure will finally bring about the break-up of the high cost DAA airport monopoly which has inflicted such uncompetitive costs, gold plated facilities and record traffic declines on Irish tourism in recent years.

Sadly, the new govt has failed to-date to deliver any change and reform on the DAA monopoly or its high prices, and the Dept of Transport policy which consists of protecting this high cost DAA monopoly at all costs, continues at the expense of Irish tourism and job growth.”