Only link I can find at the moment..my figures were a bit off but not much. Better article elsewhere which I will locate at some point..have it in an email somewhere.
(Full article
here in 2 pages but this is the important half)
DAA accused of reneging on its responsibilities to Shannon staff
It was suggested to Mr Collier by Deputy Timmy Dooley, that as chief executive of the DAA, he had a duty to protect revenues at Shannon, which he had failed to do.
Deputy Michael Lowry, meanwhile, said the DAA was one of a number of parties who "reneged on their responsibility to the (Shannon) management, workforce and people of the mid-west and protected the interests of Aer Lingus; it is as simple as that."
But Mr Collier rejected any suggestion the DAA was neglecting Shannon. In the three years since it was established to replace Aer Rianta, some ¤40 million had been invested in capital projects and another ¤40 million on the restructuring programme there.
The committee members heard, however, that €180 million had been invested in Cork Airport during the same period.
Mr Shanahan told the committee that of the €40 million in capital investment referred to by Mr Collier, that figure included "potential investment" this year in the US Customs pre-clearance facility that awaits a bilateral agreement with the United States and legislation. The other investment in Shannon in the last three years amounted to just under €17 million.
Securing the green light for Customs and Border Protection was an integral part of the SAA's plans, Mr Shanahan said. Given that, over the past three years, the SAA has made savings of ¤10 million a year and had reversed the a trend from 2000 to 2004 where through traffic was stagnant, the future is bright for Shannon, Mr Shanhan said, provided it is independent and debt-free.
"For years, Shannon has been perceived as a poor mouth, resistant to change, trying to feather its own nest in trying to hold on to a regulated environment and the Open Skies agreement," Mr Shanahan said.
"I believe the opposite is the case because Shannon Airport has a long history of aviation innovation, international duty free originated in Shannon and Aer Rianta International is still based at Shannon.
Shannon Airport was involved in fuel bartering in the early days and started a technical transit business that is unique in Ireland. There is a lot of innovation at Shannon Airport and the employees and unions there were proactive in trying to resolve the cost base issues. The airport is now a lean machine focused on commercial matters rather than regulation that we want to move forward in a competitive world. This is why we believe it must be independent."