The board of Cork Airport Authority has indicated that it does not accept the terms of a proposal put to the authority by Government which would see it pay €100m of a €220m debt.
In a statement tonight, Cork Airport Authority indicated it would be hiring consultants to enable it to negotiate what it described as satisfactory terms and conditions with the Dublin Airport Authority and Department of Transport.
The disagreement over who should pay the debt at Cork Airport stems from a promise made by then Transport Minister Seamus Brennan in July 2003 that the airport would be debt-free when it gained its independence.
In the statement, the board of CAA said it was not yet in a position to evaluate the proposal from government.
However it said it would be appointing consultants to enable the authority to prepare a business plan and negotiate terms with the DAA and the Department of Transport.
A source close the authority stressed that its statement did not amount to a rejection of the debt payment proposal tabled by the Government.
