HE WOULD never admit it but Michael O’Leary must be looking forward to Enda Kenny’s coronation as Taoiseach in the coming weeks. The Fine Gael manifesto, published this week, could have almost have been written by O’Leary himself.

The Blueshirts said they would “work with the aviation regulator to cut airport charges in order to deliver increased routes, airlines and passenger numbers”.

It also plans to ensure that the Dublin Airport Authority is “exposed to benchmarking and competition within its sector” and it will allow Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports to “operate independently”.

Fine Gael also plans to abolish the €3 travel tax “subject to a deal being agreed with Ryanair and Aer Lingus to re-open closed routes and bring more tourists into Ireland”.

It will also legislate to ensure that air traffic controllers have to take their grievances to the Labour Relations Commission and the Labour Court before taking industrial action.

That is not quite the hardline that O’Leary would advocate but it’s something.

So will O’Leary be voting for Fine Gael next Friday?

“I’m not even going there,” he told me yesterday before adding: “I will be voting for the break-up of the DAA monopoly.”

What advice would he offer the new administration to boost Irish aviation?

“Scrap the [travel] tax and break up the DAA monopoly,” he said, predictably.

O’Leary wants the new government to sell off both terminals at Dublin airport to separate groups so they can compete with each other. “The DAA could run the car parks and the runway,” he added. How generous.

He reckons this could generate funds of €600-800 million, which could be used to pay down the DAA’s debt of close to €1 billion.

The balance could be “retired” with revenues from the car parks and runway.

Naturally, the DAA would oppose such measures and it’s hard to imagine the Labour Party being enthusiastic supporters of his plan.

Over to you Enda.