Dr. Chris Horn:

Our consideration was that it is not just the airlines. It is the entire sector and, therefore, it includes the airports and the supply chain. We were looking at the sector as a whole, rather than just the aircraft. The feeling was that there are a number of initiatives under way at European level with respect to carbon neutrality that I am sure the committee will be aware of. These range from the European Environment Agency to Eurocontrol, the aviation safety regulator. We felt there was a great opportunity for Ireland to lead in this respect by considering a holistic approach to the domestic sector. There are a number of initiatives and I want to stress again that it is not just the aircraft but the whole industry.

On the state aid issue, a number of other jurisdictions within the EU have offered, and are offering, financial incentives to airlines to continue to fly to particular airports, including regional airports, as well as providing state aid directly to the airlines. Our understanding is EU regulations require that this state aid be approved and that other nations have gone through this process and received such approval. It is my understanding that in some cases the EU has waived the requirements for state aid approval but I may be wrong about that. It is a personal view.