Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for those comments. I am on the record in stating the importance of having that regional connectivity. As the Senator knows, we funded part of the new runway at Cork Airport. I was honoured to officially open it. It is critical we maintain our existing airport network, which was what I was focused on during the pandemic. We now need to keep reviewing this constantly to ensure our airports have the necessary supports in place to increase connectivity, not only regional but international connectivity, as Cork and Shannon airports do. I am very much focused on this issue and on ensuring we have a strong aviation sector. We work with our airports but it is up to them to negotiate directly with airlines. It is important to state they are commercial entities. Cork Airport is exemplary in attracting-----