Labour Transport Spokesperson Tommy Broughan T.D. has welcomed a provisional agreement that may see the recommencement of the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) business at the SR Technics facility in Dublin Airport. But he has warned that greater urgency is needed by the government to secure a successor Line Maintenance operation at Dublin Airport.

Deputy Broughan said, "Transport Minister Noel Dempsey confirmed to me in a recent letter that "following a series of contacts with both the company and Government interests in the United Arab Emirates, DR Technics indicated on 4th June that they had agreed in principle to sell the bulk of its aircraft maintenance operations at Dublin Airport to Dublin Aerospace Ltd."

"The Minister went on to say that "we are hopeful that this company’s proposal will result in the recommencement of the MRO business at Dublin Airport. The full support of the State development agencies have been made available to all interested parties including Dublin Aerospace Ltd. with a view to providing every possible assistance."

"SR Technics has a ten year contract for the provision of Line Maintenance and other maintenance services to Aer Lingus at Dublin Airport. I understand from the Minister that "negotiations have not yet concluded" on how "these services will be provided to Aer Lingus following the closure of SR Technics."

"Time is clearly of the essence in order to get the Line Maintenance operation at the SRT plant back up and running. I hope Minister Dempsey and his colleague Tanaiste Coughlan will be able to report on progress on this issue over the coming week.

"It is also striking that there has been a markedly different approach taken by SRT’s corporate management to recent job losses at the Zurich based SR Technics facility than the appalling way that Irish-based SRT staff have been treated. In Zurich there is an agreed severance benefits plan, a commission to examine any specific hardship cases for staff being let go and professional consulting, HR and counselling services in order to assist staff being made redundant in seeking new employment. This is also a strong indictment of the government’s botched handing of the Irish SRT job losses and the way they were so easily railroaded by SR Technics Zurich and Middle Eastern senior management."