Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To follow on from Ms Mulholland's last point, this is about the workers in the company and the region. I could spend an hour giving out about Aer Lingus and its approach to Shannon over the years. I am deeply frustrated with its activities but that would be a pointless waste of the few minutes I have. I am equally frustrated with the Government, of which the party I am a member of is part. I was frustrated with the mandatory hotel quarantine, the focus on non-essential travel and I continue to be frustrated with the lack of a coherent plan that gives certainty to airlines. I am also frustrated that for some time now the lesson of the separation of Shannon from the national aviation authority has not been addressed. With their intimate knowledge of the region and the difficulties Aer Lingus and other airlines have had, do Mr Clarke and Ms Mulholland think it is time for bringing the three State airports together and forgetting the notion of airports competing against each other? Should they instead work effectively as a block and let the airports challenge the airlines to ensure they meet the critical regional development we desperately need? If we leave Dublin Airport to compete with Shannon Airport during this recovery phase, one does not need to be a Mensa scientist to know full well – and this is not being negative towards Dublin – they will consolidate their activities because of the significant costs and where the population resides. In addition to the Government needing to come forward with a plan, we should link whatever future moneys are provided to Aer Lingus to the retention of the base and of the employees, thereby ensuring Ms Mulholland and her 82 colleagues will not lose their jobs. My questions are simple. Does the Government need to link future supports to the airline to maintaining those regional bases and employees outside the east coast? Do they think it is time for the re-establishment of a national aviation authority or a national airport authority where the three airports are managed under the one umbrella?