Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome our guests. I would like to kick off with a few points. It has been a great political failure on the part of Shannon that Aer Lingus was sold and that there was a tied-in agreement that a landing slot at Heathrow would be retained until the autumn of 2022.

We are on the cusp of that time and we have absolutely no certainty. A few moments ago,. Mr. Moriarty stated that it is commercially viable. People are buying tickets and flying on the route, but certainty in respect of the route will be gone from the end of September onwards. Can the witnesses give us any certainty that they are committed to retaining dedicated and ring-fenced Heathrow slots for the Shannon service?