Delegates at Fórsa’s Services and Enterprises divisional conference insisted that the Irish Airport Authority (IAA) should remain in public ownership. The union fears that the IAA may follow a European trend towards privatisation, particularly if its regulatory functions are split from other company activity.

 

Alan Singleton, chair of Fórsa’s Air Traffic Control branch said the company was currently a self-financing publicly-owned company, which was among Europe’s cheapest providers of air traffic services.

 

“There is no objective reason to privatise the IAA, but there is a growing European trend in this direction. Five out of 38 European providers are now privatised, including in large countries like Britain, Italy and Spain. I worry that this Government, or a future government, may be tempted to grab a large cash injection by selling off this efficient and solvent exporter, which is among Europe’s cheapest providers of air traffic services. Fórsa and other aviation unions must be prepared to oppose any move towards privatisation,” he said.

 

Mr Singleton said that private providers of air traffic services were among the most expensive. “The most expensive are those that have been privatised, proving that non-state ownership is not good for passengers who ultimately pick up the tab,” he said.

 

The conference backed a motion that called on the union to work to ensure that the IAA remains in State ownership.