Ms Mary Considine:

-----and for further financial support for aviation as the Covid-19 shutdown of air transport continues.

To support the EU traffic light system, Shannon Group has called for the development and implementation of routine Covid-19 testing for passengers boarding flights out of the country, as this will help aviation to resume in a safe manner.

For our part, we are working closely with our peers in the industry and the Department of Transport. We are ready to roll out a pre-departure Covid-19 testing regime at the airport once agreed testing protocols are in place. Pre-departure testing is already proving effective in many other countries, a robust testing regime at airports can help to restore confidence and get aviation moving safely again.

Our economy is dependent on a thriving aviation industry and restoring air connectivity is now critical as we learn to co-exist with the virus. In the meantime, we must protect our airports to ensure they can continue to do what they do best, namely, welcome passengers, play a crucial role in globalisation, connect cities and countries, foster economic activity and encourage international commerce and tourism, all of which generate employment in our regions.

While the latest news on the development of a vaccine is encouraging, we know recovery will take time. It is important we plan now for the safe restoration of air services. We urgently need to see the full implementation of the aviation recovery task force recommendations published on 7 July. These call for supports for aviation and, particularly in the case of Shannon, support for regional airports, as well as rebuilding and international connectivity. In the context of the devastating financial impact of this pandemic, there is an urgent need for Shannon Airport to be incorporated into the regional airports programme. This would see the airport receive vitally needed operational, as well as capital expenditure, supports.

As I have outlined to the committee previously, businesses on the western seaboard which rely on air connectivity to sustain their operations need critical air services from Shannon Airport to the UK, US, and, particularly in the context of Brexit, to a central European hub. None of these air services, however, will be viable until the markets recover which experts say could be as far out as 2024. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which is ravaging the aviation sector across the globe, we are calling on the Government to provide financial supports for these vital air services until they can return to normal commercial levels of activity. We are asking the Government to support us to ensure these routes are not lost to the region.

We have taken many short-term difficult decisions in Shannon Group to deal with Covid-19 in order to preserve our businesses for the future. Shannon Airport is the hub which connects the region’s people and industry with the world. This will be needed more than ever as we recover from this crisis. Shannon Airport is a valuable State asset which needs to be protected and supported. We hope this will be provided for in the forthcoming national economic plan which we expect to be published next month.