Dublin Airport Authority
Encyclopedia
Dublin Airport Authority plc (DAA) is the state-owned airport
authority in the Republic of Ireland
. With a head office on the grounds of Dublin Airport
in Fingal
, County Dublin
, the authority also owned the Great Southern Hotels which had nine sites throughout the island of Ireland
(until its sale in 2006) and international investments are held by Aer Rianta International
. The authority runs Dublin Airport
and controls the Cork Airport Authority and the Shannon Airport Authority which are responsible for Cork Airport and Shannon Airport
.
for "air ways" or "air tracks"; Teoranta
is the Irish word for Limited. Aer Rianta was to serve as a holding company for the national airline and to promote aviation generally.
Aer Rianta was the principal shareholder of Aer Lingus
during the airline's early days, until 1966. Aer Rianta had control of Dublin Airport from its start although this was not formally or legally recognised until the passage of the Air Navigation and Transport Act of 1950. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Airport Manager at Dublin Airport, who was officially an employee of Aer Rianta, was also part of the Aer Lingus management team and reported to the Assistant General Manager of that company. In 1954, Prof. Patrick Lynch
was appointed chairman of Aer Rianta at the young age of 38, taking on the task of turning the £60,000 deficit of the companies into a profit. He was Chairman for 21 years to 1975, and retired from that position at his own request to the Government of the day. It was during this time that the Department of Transport and Power turned its attention to the long-term organisation of the three state airports. Due to the increasing complexity and costs associated with managing airports, and also due in no small part to the growth of non-aviation services (most notably Duty Free sales), the need was felt in Ireland to establish one independent operation to manage Ireland's airports.
In 1966, the passage of the Air Companies Act in 1966 enabled the transfer of Aer Lingus shares to the Minister of Finance, and separate boards were appointed to each company. A general manager of Aer Rianta was appointed in 1968. On April 1, 1969, Cork and Shannon airports became the responsibility of the company.
In 1988 Aer Rianta International was created to pursue international potential to the company's growth not related to Irish airport management - for example, opening Russia's first duty free in Moscow in 1988. In 1998 Aer Rianta Teoranta became Aer Rianta cpt and kept this name until 2004.
passed the State Airports Act, 2004. This renamed Aer Rianta cpt as Dublin Airport Authority plc, and established Shannon Airport Authority plc and Cork Airport Authority plc. The three new authorities have power to formulate business plans for their respective airports, however they will not take charge of running the airports until further date to be determined by the Minister for Transport
, which by law would not be before 1 May 2005. this had yet to take place. Significant outstanding issues to be resolved include competitiveness and debit restructuring.
The company also retains its significant shareholdings in foreign airports such as Düsseldorf and Larnaca, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Aer Rianta International
, which still retains the Aer Rianta name.
The State Airports Act was heavily criticised by Noel Hanlon, the outgoing chairman of Aer Rianta, and by the company's unions, who believed it a precursor to privatisation. No act to privatise Dublin Airport Authority or any of the airports has been passed however.
The current chairman of Dublin Airport Authority is David Dilger.
, including Derry
, Northern Ireland
.
In 2006, the Authority sold the nine Great Southern Hotels by trade sale, with the three airport hotels becoming CG Hotels, the Galway hotels being sold to Monogram Hotels, the Rosslare one becoming the St Helen's Hotel, and the Derry one becoming the City Hotel. CG Hotels later signed a management contract with Rezidor Hotel Group
leading to both the Dublin and Cork hotels being rebranded Radisson SAS. The Shannon hotel became a Park Inn.
and member of Enterprise Ireland
.
Besides chairman Dilger some other members of the Board of Directors are:
Besides these named members the other members of the BoD have been appointed because of their knowledge of the airlines-business, senior politician or appointed for another reason.
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Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
authority in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. With a head office on the grounds of Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
in Fingal
Fingal
Fingal is a county in Ireland. It is one of three smaller counties into which County Dublin was divided in 1994. With its county seat located in Swords, it has a population of 239,992 according to the 2006 census...
, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
, the authority also owned the Great Southern Hotels which had nine sites throughout the island of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(until its sale in 2006) and international investments are held by Aer Rianta International
Aer Rianta International
Aer Rianta International cpt is an airport and retail holding and management company, registered in Dublin and with its head office on the grounds of Shannon Airport in Shannon, County Clare. Aer Rianta is a subsidiary of Ireland's state-owned Dublin Airport Authority.The company was established...
. The authority runs Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
and controls the Cork Airport Authority and the Shannon Airport Authority which are responsible for Cork Airport and Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
.
Aer Rianta
Aer Rianta was founded in 1937 as Aer Rianta Teoranta and the name is derived from the Irish languageIrish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
for "air ways" or "air tracks"; Teoranta
Private company limited by shares
A private company limited by shares, usually called a private limited company , is a type of company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales, Scotland, that of certain Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland...
is the Irish word for Limited. Aer Rianta was to serve as a holding company for the national airline and to promote aviation generally.
Aer Rianta was the principal shareholder of Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...
during the airline's early days, until 1966. Aer Rianta had control of Dublin Airport from its start although this was not formally or legally recognised until the passage of the Air Navigation and Transport Act of 1950. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Airport Manager at Dublin Airport, who was officially an employee of Aer Rianta, was also part of the Aer Lingus management team and reported to the Assistant General Manager of that company. In 1954, Prof. Patrick Lynch
Patrick Lynch
Patrick Lynch is the name of:*Patrick Neeson Lynch , Catholic bishop during the American Civil War*Patrick Lynch , Irish Roman Catholic bishop...
was appointed chairman of Aer Rianta at the young age of 38, taking on the task of turning the £60,000 deficit of the companies into a profit. He was Chairman for 21 years to 1975, and retired from that position at his own request to the Government of the day. It was during this time that the Department of Transport and Power turned its attention to the long-term organisation of the three state airports. Due to the increasing complexity and costs associated with managing airports, and also due in no small part to the growth of non-aviation services (most notably Duty Free sales), the need was felt in Ireland to establish one independent operation to manage Ireland's airports.
In 1966, the passage of the Air Companies Act in 1966 enabled the transfer of Aer Lingus shares to the Minister of Finance, and separate boards were appointed to each company. A general manager of Aer Rianta was appointed in 1968. On April 1, 1969, Cork and Shannon airports became the responsibility of the company.
In 1988 Aer Rianta International was created to pursue international potential to the company's growth not related to Irish airport management - for example, opening Russia's first duty free in Moscow in 1988. In 1998 Aer Rianta Teoranta became Aer Rianta cpt and kept this name until 2004.
Dublin Airport Authority
In 2004, the OireachtasOireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
passed the State Airports Act, 2004. This renamed Aer Rianta cpt as Dublin Airport Authority plc, and established Shannon Airport Authority plc and Cork Airport Authority plc. The three new authorities have power to formulate business plans for their respective airports, however they will not take charge of running the airports until further date to be determined by the Minister for Transport
Minister for Transport (Ireland)
The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport is the senior minister at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport is Leo Varadkar, TD...
, which by law would not be before 1 May 2005. this had yet to take place. Significant outstanding issues to be resolved include competitiveness and debit restructuring.
The company also retains its significant shareholdings in foreign airports such as Düsseldorf and Larnaca, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Aer Rianta International
Aer Rianta International
Aer Rianta International cpt is an airport and retail holding and management company, registered in Dublin and with its head office on the grounds of Shannon Airport in Shannon, County Clare. Aer Rianta is a subsidiary of Ireland's state-owned Dublin Airport Authority.The company was established...
, which still retains the Aer Rianta name.
The State Airports Act was heavily criticised by Noel Hanlon, the outgoing chairman of Aer Rianta, and by the company's unions, who believed it a precursor to privatisation. No act to privatise Dublin Airport Authority or any of the airports has been passed however.
The current chairman of Dublin Airport Authority is David Dilger.
Great Southern Hotels
In 1990 the nine Great Southern Hotels were purchased from Córas Iompair ÉireannCóras Iompair Éireann
Córas Iompair Éireann , or CIÉ, is a statutory corporation of the Irish state, answerable to the Irish Government and responsible for most public transport in the Republic of Ireland and, jointly with its Northern Ireland counterpart, the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, between the...
, including Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
In 2006, the Authority sold the nine Great Southern Hotels by trade sale, with the three airport hotels becoming CG Hotels, the Galway hotels being sold to Monogram Hotels, the Rosslare one becoming the St Helen's Hotel, and the Derry one becoming the City Hotel. CG Hotels later signed a management contract with Rezidor Hotel Group
Carlson Companies
Carlson is a privately held international corporation in the hotel, restaurant, and travel industries. Headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, near Minneapolis, Carlson brands and services, including franchised operations, employ more than 170,000 people in more than 150 countries and territories...
leading to both the Dublin and Cork hotels being rebranded Radisson SAS. The Shannon hotel became a Park Inn.
Board of Directors of the DAA
The DAA has a 13 person Board of Directors. David Dilger is appointed as the chairman of the board. Before joining the DAA Dilger was CEO of the Greencore Group where he was CEO for over 10 years. Dilger was also member of the board of the Bank of IrelandBank of Ireland
The Bank of Ireland is a commercial bank operation in Ireland, which is one of the 'Big Four' in both parts of the island.Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Irish banking history...
and member of Enterprise Ireland
Enterprise Ireland
Enterprise Ireland is the Irish leading state economic development agency focused on helping Irish-owned business deliver new export sales. The core mission of Enterprise Ireland is to accelerate the development of Irish enterprises capable of achieving strong positions in global markets resulting...
.
Besides chairman Dilger some other members of the Board of Directors are:
- Peter Barret: Barret started his career with Anderson Consulting (currently known as AccentureAccentureAccenture plc is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company headquartered in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is the largest consulting firm in the world and is a Fortune Global 500 company. As of September 2011, the company had more than 236,000 employees across...
) and has a background in airline-financing via the Aircraft leasing department of the Royal Bank of ScotlandRoyal Bank of ScotlandThe Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
and the KBC BankKBC BankKBC Bank N.V. is a Belgian universal multi-channel bank, focusing on private clients and small and medium-sized enterprises. Besides retail banking, insurance and asset management activities , KBC is active in European debt capital markets, domestic cash equity markets and in the field of corporate... - Declan Collier was CEO of the DAA since 2005. Before that date he worked for ExxonMobilExxonMobilExxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas...
- Thomas Guilfoyle is member via the Worker Participation (State Enterprise) Acts, 1977 to 2001. Since 2001 he works a qualified electrician at Shannon Airport
- Mary McCabe is since December 2008 another appointee via the Worker Participation Act (WPA).
- Batty Nevin is the 3rd member of the BoD for DAA via the WPA. Since 1990 he has been a member of Airport Police (Ireland) based in Dublin Airport.
- Sir Michael Hodgkinson has been member of the BoD of the British Airport Authority.
- Bryan O'Connel is as chairman of the Shannon Airport Authority member of the DAA BoD.
- Geryy Wals is as chairman of the Cork Airport Authority member of the DAA BoD.
Besides these named members the other members of the BoD have been appointed because of their knowledge of the airlines-business, senior politician or appointed for another reason.
Airports
- Cork Airport is Ireland'sRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
second biggest Airport. - Handled 2.8m passengers in 2009.
- Following recent announcements, in total 15 new routes have been launched from Cork by Aer Lingus and Ryanair Passenger numbers are believed to continue to decline although to a lessor extent from 2009.
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- Dublin AirportDublin AirportDublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
is Ireland's biggest Airport. - Handled 20.5m passengers in 2009.
- The Airport is a global hub for US, European and International traffic, The slump in Air Travel has hit Dublin hard like many European airports, Figures fell by 12.6% from the high of 23.5 million passengers in 2008. It is expected that passenger numbers will continue to decline in 2010.
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- Shannon AirportShannon AirportShannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
is Ireland's third biggest Airport. - Handled 2.5m passengers in 2009.
- The Airport serves mainly Limerick and the West of Ireland, The slump in Air Travel caused by the global recession has collapsed passenger numbers at Shannon, Figures for 2009 fell by 12% with even worse predictions for 2010. The collapse in passenger numbers was greatly contributed to by Ryanair.