Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Doyle and Mr. Wilson for attending. Given the dramatic decrease in passenger numbers due to Covid, it is timely that we re-evalute aviation in Ireland. I represent Limerick city, which has been significantly dependent on the vitality of Shannon Airport and we can see the trends that are emerging.

It seems to me that there is likely to be a correlation between the development of Ireland's motorway network and the growth in flights to and from Dublin Airport and the number of passengers passing through that airport. We have seen many private bus operators establish comprehensive services from Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford direct to Dublin Airport. Prior to Covid, we were seeing a large growth in coach tourism, which has Dublin city as its base. In recent years, tourists could jump on a tour bus on the quays in Dublin at 7 a.m. and do a whistle-stop tour of the west and be back in Temple Bar that night. I would like to hear the perspective of the airlines on this trend of the past decade and how in a post-Covid market they expect their business to develop in the coming years with regard to the balance of services between Dublin and Shannon.