Mr. Maurice O'Connor:

I will discuss Ryanair, as ours is the agency tasked with its oversight. Ryanair operates a fleet of 403 Boeing 737 aircraft. It operates from 87 bases in Europe and north Africa to more than 190 airfields and more than 30 countries in Europe and north Africa. It has 4,000 pilots and almost 9,000 cabin crew.

On safety performance, Ryanair has a very good engagement with the safety regulator. It is fully compliant with all EU and EASA regulations.

Historically, it has had a very strong safety performance which can be reviewed for the 31 years it has been operating.

The cancellation of fights by Ryanair was a completely commercial decision, made entirely at the company's discretion. It was a spur of the moment decision which was made without the knowledge of any agency. Ryanair has accepted full responsibility for the current situation. When an airline changes its schedule or cancels flights, there are no safety concerns.

The Irish Aviation Authority, as the safety regulator, is completely independent of any commercial issue. It does not get involved in commercial issues that an airline takes on itself. Its oversight ensures safety is maintained to European and international standards. It has always honoured all of its European and international obligations in full