Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

As I said earlier, there is an immediate issue in terms of supports for our aviation industry and, by dint of that, our tourism industry. Much of that funding will come from emergency Covid-type supports. We are looking at that. In the more medium term, we want our aviation industry to thrive, but there are different spending and policy priorities in the Estimates. Deputies, including Deputy Crowe, rightly, lobby me in regard to local bus services in County Clare or investment in broadband or other services. When it comes to spending, we have limited budgets.

To be clear, prior to Covid our aviation industry was booming. Passenger numbers had increased massively. Shannon Airport had not grown as fast as Dublin Airport, which is a big regional issue, but the main reason for that is the two-hour journey time on the motorway between Limerick and Dublin which brings passengers and bus companies to Dublin Airport. Overall, the industry was in significant health. In particular, Aer Lingus had significantly expanded its business in the north Atlantic, where it operates to approximately ten different locations. While much of that was going to Dublin Airport versus Shannon Airport, Shannon Airport was also growing, as was Cork Airport. It was not an industry in crisis before this crash; far from it. The benefit of it coming back is that it will show that other industries are coming back. As a country, we need connectivity.