The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, yesterday met the Aer Rianta chairman, Mr Noel Hanlon, in an attempt to break the deadlock over the composition of the airport company's board.
Separately, it emerged last night that the Minister was not planning to ask the Cabinet today to sanction the development of an independent terminal at Dublin Airport.
There had been an expectation that Mr Brennan might propose such a plan before Ministers take their summer break.
Nor are any revised outline proposals for a metro system in Dublin on the agenda for the meeting today. This is despite suggestions very recently that Mr Brennan would within weeks bring plans for a metro to the Cabinet.
There was no indication last night that a resolution had been reached in the stand-off between Mr Brennan and the Aer Rianta chairman. Aer Rianta declined to comment.
It was seen as increasingly unlikely, however, that Mr Brennan would attempt to remove Mr Hanlon from his position.
Mr Hanlon and two other directors, Ms Freda Hayes and Mr Liam Meade, have refused a request to stand down from the Aer Rianta board ahead of the Government's break-up of the company.
Ms Hayes, who has Fianna Fáil links, is the chief executive of Blarney Woollen Mills. Mr Meade, who has PD links, is a vice-president of Shannon Engine Support.
Mr Brennan's meeting with Mr Hanlon at the Department of Transport followed a separate meeting on Monday with Mr Meade, which took place in Co Limerick. The Minister hopes to meet tonight or tomorrow with Ms Hayes.
With none of the three indicating any willingness to accede to the Government's request to stand down, Mr Brennan is believed to be working on an alternative solution.
All three have, however, pledged to implement Government policy.
An attempt last week to broker a compromise backfired when an individual in the PDs contacted Mr Meade with a proposal that he become deputy chairman of Shannon Airport before Fianna Fáil contacted Ms Hayes to offer her the same post at Shannon.
One solution open to Mr Brennan is to leave Mr Hanlon, Ms Hayes and Mr Meade in place while creating additional places on the Aer Rianta board.
There are two vacancies already and Mr Brennan could opt to add additional places to the board to accommodate the most senior appointees to the interim boards at Dublin, Cork and Shannon.
However, Mr Brennan might then have to create a place for an additional worker-director.
The deadlock has led Mr Brennan to delay the selection of interim boards of directors at the State airports in Dublin, Cork and Shannon.
While Mr Brennan said a fortnight ago that he would announce the composition of the interim boards within a week, it now appears that he might announce only the names of the chair and deputy chair of the three airports later this week.
Mr Brennan has approached the Glen Dimplex founder, Mr Martin Naughton, to chair Dublin Airport but he has not yet responded.