Mr. Willie Walsh:

That is a great question. We are likely to get back to the 2019 figures by 2024 at the earliest. More likely, it will take five years from now, which would be 2026, given where we are.

I have already outlined some of the things I would like to see happening. There has to be a signal that mandatory hotel quarantining is finished. It should only be required, if it is required at all, in extreme circumstances. It cannot be that it becomes the norm, which it has, in effect, become. Ireland must align with the rest of Europe in terms of having a sensible traffic light system. Ireland should use its position of influence within Europe to try to get a common position adopted across the EU. Particularly in a post-Brexit environment, it is disappointing to see the EU fragmented in the way it is.

Ireland needs to look at a testing regime that is risk-based. It should take on board the recommendation this committee has made in regard to antigen testing as opposed to expensive PCR testing. The Government has got to make sure, in anticipation of getting things moving again, that people will have a smooth passage into and out of the airports. That will require technology and the adoption of some form of digital system to allow people to move through airports in an efficient manner.

We have got to change the attitude in Ireland where travel is seen as an evil. I do not understand that, given how critical travel has been to the growth of the Irish economy. It has enabled people both on the island and outside it to do business in a way that would not otherwise have been possible. We have been massively successful in attracting business into Ireland but that requires access to the island. I really worry about whether the businesses that have relocated here are going to look at other parts of the world. I am doing that at IATA because there are some countries in which we have offices where the authorities are making it very difficult for us to work. We are already looking at whether we can relocate those offices to a more business-friendly environment. Ireland needs to move fast on this. I can understand the political risk associated with making decisions like these. I come from an airline background where we have to manage risk on a daily basis. It is in our DNA and we do it well. We understand how to manage risk. It is going to be important for Ireland to make change and make it quickly. The damage that is being done is significant and it is increasing every day.