Ryanair today unveiled its proposal for a second terminal at Dublin Airport.
The facility, to be known as T2, would cost €114 million to develop and could handle up to 10 million passengers per annum, almost doubling the capacity of Dublin Airport.
The proposed plan also includes the development of two multi-storey short-term carparks for 10,000 cars and two hotels.
The terminal's designer, de Blacam & Meagher Architects, said the new facility would substantially reduce passenger walking distances, which are a major drawback of the existing Aer Rianta facilities.
Mr John Meagher of de Blacam & Meagher said T2 would restore architectural order to the airport reinstating the old central terminal building as its focal point.
Ryanair has submitted the plans to the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan. The airline has confirmed the facility can be made available by 2004 if the Government gives the go-ahead for tenders to proceed by the end of 2002.
Ryanair said that if the plans go ahead, it will double the number of aircraft based in Dublin (from 10 to 20), more than doubling Ryanir's passenger numbers at Dublin Airport to eight million passengers.
Ryanair has also asked the Government to allow the McEvaddy brothers to develop a third competing terminal development on the Hunstown lands at Dublin Airport and to permit the building of a fourth terminal in due course.