Originally Posted by Jack1985
Cork Airport did not spend €200m the DAA did.
Exactly.
DAA control Cork Airport and were instructed by the Government to get that 2nd terminal built.
To those who have difficulty in understanding what went on, I will repeat what I have said before here :
"It is the equivalent of Ryanair being asked to purchase a new fleet of airplanes for Aer Lingus, and sure don't worry about the cost, Aer Lingus will be picking up the tab."
That's how mad that was.
The DAA vastly overspent on the building and gave gold plated contracts to its Dublin cronies. Cork was stitched up royally. I don't know at what point they knew that they'd pull a fast one and pass all the debt onto the CAA, but I suspect it was from an early stage. Even though he was a Fianna Failer, I do believe Seamus Brennan's intentions were honourable.
The same cannot be said for that cabal running the DAA. This is the same DAA who tried to sell crucial land belonging to Cork Airport, behind the backs of the CAA, which would have permanently restricted the development of the airport.
On the wider subject of political interference, in Cork's case it is a LACK of political interference. Aer Rianta was always a Fianna Fail nest egg for themselves and their cronies. But when it came to Dublin, Cork and Shannon, it was always Dublin Number 1, Shannon Number 2 and Cork faraway Number 3.
The biggest reason for that is that Cork has always had appallingly poor politicians who would never fight for Cork and seeing that it was usually FF in power, we had gutless clowns like Lynch and Martin up against nastier crooks. I presume they never saw Cork Airport as being crucial to getting themselves re-elected. Perhaps Coveney thinks the same ? I had expected more of him and FG. That said he was in the Transport Spokesman brief before he stupidly backed Bruton in the push against Kenny.