Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Ó Céidigh back to the Oireachtas. He is very familiar with these surroundings. Indeed, he would have chaired many meetings in this room. I view his appointment as a very positive move for County Clare, the mid-west and the western seaboard. As he said, Shannon Airport is an economic driver. It is an engine for growth and 46,500 jobs hang on the back of Shannon and its well-being. I have met with a huge number of people from the business community and the tourism industry over the past week and they have responded positively to Mr. Ó Céidigh's appointment. He is a shot in the arm for both the mid-west and the western seaboard. I look forward to working with him and rebuilding the potential that is in Shannon.

Even prior to Covid-19, Shannon Airport was struggling to gain market share. The key issue is addressing the imbalance between Dublin Airport and the rest. One of Mr. Ó Céidigh's targets should be to amend national aviation policy and have positive discrimination towards Shannon Airport because it is much more than an airport. It is an economic driver and businesses that are in Shannon or the mid-west region are there principally because of the presence of Shannon and the connectivity it provides. Coupled with that, Shannon is the lifeblood of tourism along the west coast. We have many top-class hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfast establishments along the west coast, and they really rely on Shannon. This week I met with the Irish Hotels Federation at the Inn At Dromoland about their asks for the coming budget. I asked one particular individual, Michael Vaughan, if he had many tourists at the moment. He said they had 30 Americans that night and that every one of those had entered the country through Dublin. They had to sit on a bus or in a car and come down to Lahinch to overnight, play golf and so on. Why are these people not coming through Shannon Airport? Part of Mr. Ó Céidigh's objective should also be to restore transatlantic routes, build on that traffic, re-establish the three daily direct return routes to Heathrow and get a bigger slice of the aviation cake nationally for Shannon.

I also see Mr. Ó Céidigh's role as something more than just a person who comes in every month and chairs a board meeting. I know him and I know that is not his way. He is going to roll up his sleeves and give this his best shot. This committee should support him and make representations to the Government, to the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, to establish his position as an executive chairperson in order that he is remunerated and recognised for the vital position he now holds.

I am also, for my sins, chairperson of the Shannon Airport Oireachtas group and I have had a lot of contact from committee members who are very anxious to meet with Mr. Ó Céidigh. That is another pivotal role he will play because over the last number of years a gulf has arisen between the airport and the region. I think Mr. Ó Céidigh will be able to provide that bridge between all the stakeholders, whether they are political stakeholders, businesses or the ordinary person who has a deep interest in the airport. I ask that Mr. Ó Céidigh play that role as well and I ask that he meet with the Oireachtas members from the region at the earliest opportunity. I wish him all the best in his new role and I look forward to working with him.