Mr. Evan Cullen:

IALPA welcomes this opportunity to appear before the committee on behalf of its 1,200 professional pilot members in Ireland. Mindful of the short time available to us today, this opening statement is short and focused on one or two key issues identified by IALPA members as significant for the continued survival of the aviation sector in Ireland.

The impact on the aviation sector of Covid-19 is well documented but it is important to give a summary of its effect on Irish pilots. Of our 1,200 members, approximately 50% are receiving no income from their employer due to redundancy or their having been laid off. The remaining 50% are on incomes between 25% and 30% of their normal full-time income. It will not be lost on committee members that such a massive decline in incomes is having a major impact on our members' ability to pay their mortgages and meet other outgoings. If the effective shutdown of our sector continues for any length of time, the impact on the pilots will be catastrophic; hence our desire to get Irish aviation safely operating again in line with our European partners.

On testing developments, the risk assessment of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, ECDC, issued on 23 October last, advised:

While RT-PCR tests remain the operational standard for detection of ongoing infection, especially in cases where precision is key, antigen tests can also be used for this purpose. Rapid antigen tests (RATs) are becoming more readily available and are being increasingly used by Member States as a possible tool for rapid SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis. ... RATs with acceptable sensitivity and specificity ... are now available in the EU.

Many of our European partners have introduced, or are working to introduce, such antigen testing.

Italy introduced a testing requirement in September for arrivals from high risk or red areas that includes an antigen test within acceptable test standards. On 18 October, the French minister for transport announced plans to introduce rapid antigen testing at airports on departure to countries such as the US and on arrival from red zone countries. On 13 October, Germany’s Robert Koch Institute recommended antigen tests to complement existing molecular polymerase chain reaction, PCR, tests. Germany has secured 9 million so-called antigen tests per month that can deliver a result in minutes and cost about €5 each. Several major European airports, including Milan, Rome, Frankfurt, London and very recently Paris, are in the process of equipping themselves with antigenic tests to allow a rapid diagnosis. On 23 October, Austrian Airlines launched a trial programme of rapid Covid-19 antigen tests in co-operation with its hub, Vienna Airport, for flights to Berlin.

If the Irish aviation sector is to survive this pandemic, there is an urgent requirement for progress to be made in Ireland on the establishment of a rapid antigen testing regime to ensure adequate supplies can be sourced and secured in a timely manner. Such a regime can represent a significant addition to the existing multi-layered approach to the management of risk by its application to passengers coming from high-risk or red areas or countries. It would also allow us to safely open up our skies once again. I thank the members for facilitating our presentation this afternoon and I look forward to engaging in the question's session. In summary, IALPA is calling for mandatory, rapid antigen testing at the airports for all arrivals and departing passengers and crew. We believe this is the best way for us to secure the industry and to offer the protections necessary.