The Fianna Fáil leader in the Seanad Mary O'Rourke has told the upper house that she could see no urgency or imperative for the plan to break up Aer Rianta.
Ms O’Rourke wondered who might be ultimately behind the plan and expressed concern that it might see Shannon Airport in particular falling prey in time to commercial interests.
Ms O’Rourke said it was not enough to base legislation on a hunch - a reference to a phrase used by the Minister for Transport Séamus Brennan in interviews on the issue - that the airports could compete successfully with each other.
Earlier, Mr Brennan denounced leaks that suggested the company's financiers were poised to call in their loans, denying that he had heard of any unease from bankers.
Mr Brennan added that he deplored the leaking of financial information, which he said was designed to frustrate the Government in its plans.
Mr Brennan also rejected reports that there was a drafting error in his bill to allow for the breaking up of Aer Rianta into three separate companies.
Mr Brennan told the Seanad that he checked these reports with the Attorney General, who has assured him there were no errors in the Bill.
Fine Gael suggested that the plan did not have the backing of the Taoiseach, while Labour questioned the rationale for the plan, saying that Aer Rianta was working well as a company.
Independent Senator Shane Ross claimed that Aer Rianta was an ugly monster that had gone walkabout, and commended Mr Brennan for attempting to slay it.
Earlier, Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley expressed concern that Shannon and Cork airports might find themselves without access to investment capital under the new scheme.
