Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar has said the decision to cut State funding for two regional airports will not be reversed despite claims that Galway airport could face closure as a result of the move.
Mr Varadkar announced yesterday that funding for Galway and Sligo regional airports will cease in 2012 and that resources would now be concentrated on Knock, Waterford, Donegal and Kerry airports.
Galway airport's managing director Joe Walsh said today there was a real risk of the airport closing down next year.
However, speaking on RTÉ radio this morning, Mr Varadkar said he was not in a position to continue to provide funding for Sligo and Galway airports.
"In the context of a €100 million cut to my budget next year it won't be possible to fund all six airports. What we're trying to do is to consolidate funding around four airports which will be able to stand on their own two feet very quickly," he said.
Mr Varadkar said he would provide extra funding of about €5.9 million to the regional airports in 2011. The €5.9 million comes on top of the €13.4 million already allocated to regional airports for this year by the last government.
Mr Varadkar said that the cut to his department's budget for 2012 meant that it would be difficult to fund public transport services or to pay for repairs to the roads and therefore tough decisions had to be taken. "I have to prioritise and my priority is maintaining the roads and basic transport services to those who need them the most," he said.
Mr Varadkar said that out of all the regional airports currently receiving State support, Galway and Sligo airports were least deserving of further funding.
"In the case of Sligo for example, there are no scheduled flights from July 1st so I don't think it would be a good use of public money to subsidise a small number of corporate jets because there are no flights from July when that public service obligation ends." he said.
"In relation to Galway, it's not a jet-capable airport, unlike Knock and Shannon which are both just over an hour away and of course people who want to make business connections to places such as Heathrow, New York and Paris can do so through Shannon which does not require any taxpayer support," he added.
Speaking on the same programme, Mr Walsh said he was "hugely disappointed" by the Government's decision to stop providing support for Galway airport. He said the move would damage confidence in the airport and added the lack of notice was insufficient.
