The Minister for Transport has said he expects legislation on the break-up of Aer Rianta to be passed before the Dáil summer recess.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio, Séamus Brennan also repeated his commitment to building a second terminal at Dublin Airport.
Mr Brennan has just returned from the US where he held talks with the US Transport Secretary, Norman Mineta, on the progress of negotiations on an Open Skies agreement between the EU and the US.
Open Skies would remove all restrictions on European airlines flying to the US, but it is also likely to have implications for the Shannon stopover.
