Can we stop the negativity?
This thread seems to be more and more caustic by the day; not just spraying acid, but revelling in it.
For a start, I don't buy this idea of the DAA spreading a rumour about reeling in AI, if it didn't think it had a dog's chance. Runway length aside, why shouldn't the DAA throw its hat in the ring? The runway length is something that can be sorted out. AI is taking 787s from next March and they would be ideal for long, thin routes. India is a country of 1b people and its middle class is increasing dramatically; it is a strongly growing economy and its demand for air travel will increase.
What would we be saying here if the DAA simply said, "why bother?"
If you've ever been to one of the major Indian airports, DEL or BOM, you'd know that domestic-international (or vice versa) connections are neither easy nor efficient. An alternative, en route hub - preferably on the great circle route, has its advantages. FRA is too expensive and too slot controlled. Sure, there are probably better airports than DUB, but DUB has its own advantages as well.
Now, we can sneer and revel in it, or we can try and be a little more constructive. Which is going to be? Of those who choose to sneer, when is the last time you've proposed a constructive option. What would you choose to do?
I have nothing to do with the DAA and I haven't stood back from criticising if I thought it was deserved, but the constant, dripping negativity achieves nothing. If I want to read something acidic and negative, I'll go to Politics.ie, but as people who know something about aviation, we should try and be a little more constructive here.