There was a mixed reaction to yesterdays announcement of the appointment of Gerry Walsh to the position of Chairman of the Cork Airport Authority.

Walsh, a former Chief Executive Officer of An Bord Gáis, takes over from former chairman Joe Gantly who stepped down from the post earlier this year, and while his appointment was welcomed by all, the manner and time-frame in which the search was conducted did come in for criticism.

In announcing the appointment, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey TD, said, "Gerry has an outstanding track record at a senior executive level in business in Ireland over many years. I know that he will bring the same levels of skill, energy and enthusiasm that he demonstrated in his previous work to the challenging field of aviation".

Cork Fine Gael TD Deirdre Clune welcomed the appointment, but also criticised the Ministers handling of the situation. "For this Minister and his Government to allow Cork Airport remain leaderless and rudderless for months at this critical time both for Cork Airport itself and the Irish Aviation Industry in general was nothing short of neglect. This have left those working in Cork Airport and those using the airport in a vulnerable position."

Fine Gael Senator Jerry Buttimer also singled out the Minister for criticism, particularly for his handling of the appointment process. "CAA faces formidable challenges right now and the appointment of a Chairman will be well received, despite the Board's being kept in the dark about it.

"What the newly structured Board must now do is to revisit its business plan, which was drafted prior to Budget '09, to accurately reflect the current economic situation. The Minister's dismissal of the CAA Board is unfathomable. It must now, more than ever, prove its worth by ensuring that Cork is marketed and developed to its utmost potential."

Minister Dempsey also announced the appointments of Dick Lehane and Annette McNamara to fill two other vacancies on the board of the Authority.

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