On this week’s episode of Inside Business, host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by aviation entrepreneur Ulick McEvaddy. With his brother Des, Ulick has established a successful aviation business over the past 40 years called Omega.
He and Des also own a large parcel of land beside Dublin Airport. Along with two other landowners, it amounts to 260 acres and was put on the market for sale in the middle of last year.
With no sale agreed, they subsequently submitted a concept plan to Fingal County Council to develop the site for a third passenger terminal at Dublin Airport, as part of a €2.2 billion development.
He argues that for the same money as DAA is proposing to spend on its own expansion plan, his proposal would allow the airport to expand by an additional 20 million passengers while solving road access issues and providing a platform for Dublin to become a hub for sustainable aviation fuel.
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Crucially, however, he doesn’t have access to the runway, something that was an issue for bidders in the land sale process.
You’ll hear Ulick address that issue and explain why his plan isn’t, as many believe, pie in the sky.
Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.
