Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 19 May 2021
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport
Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (Resumed)
Mr. Willie Walsh:
Yes, I see some challenges. Certainly, we are not going to have the same network or breadth of network that served Ireland in 2019 for a number of years to come. For a number of the new destinations that Aer Lingus announced on the transatlantic routes, I cannot see how Aer Lingus will take the risk of reintroducing those for some considerable time. There was talk about direct air links to China, and I do not think that is going to happen in this post-Covid environment for many years. There is a risk that some of the connectivity that existed, or that we hoped for, is not going to be there or will not materialise in the same way. Without question, connectivity will be set back significantly and will take time to recover. I do not see any way around that, to be honest.
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