I refer to Mary Kenny's article "How too much hot air led to a terminal decline at the airport" (Irish Independent, October 16). She said it was envisaged that 60m passengers a year, the equivalent of the entire population of the UK, would be processed through Dublin Airport in ten years time.

Even at the present frenetic level of growth that number of passengers, mentioned on RTE Radio 1 by Dublin Airport CEO Declan Collier, is unlikely to occur that quickly.

That it could occur is a clear indication of the unsustainable development of Dublin Airport which is happening because it is a subsidised monopoly.

Dublin Airport is proud that its passenger charge is the lowest of any major European airport at just over six Euro. It is so because it is subsidised by us taxpayers. The aviation regulator only values all the publicly-owned land at Dublin Airport at €19.6 million. The airport occupies a site of 2,500 acres and land in the area of Dublin Airport is worth at least €2m an acre.

If travellers had to pay fully for the privilege of landing 10 kilometres from the centre of Dublin they would have to pay something like €20 per passenger as applies at unsubsidised London City Airport.

If so, the unsustainable growth of Dublin Airport would come to a sudden stop and the planning for a competing second airport for the Dublin Region would start tomorrow.