Mr. Ray Gray:

This has been an extraordinarily difficult time for our staff. First, in the early part of the pandemic, there was a great worry that in the rush for people to get home there could be a catching of the Covid virus. Our people were very much on the front line. That quickly moved to the situation where in March the airport essentially shut for all practical purposes other than repatriation. Our focus then was handling an unprecedented level of cargo traffic and new routes. Worldwide, cargo traffic has actually remained consistent with the norm but that has been replaced with a different type of cargo. In Ireland's case there has been a huge amount of cargo activity, with new aircraft coming in from routes from China with Aer Lingus, from the Middlle Eastern airlines and from North America.

Our staff have worked tirelessly to ensure that everything that was necessary to accommodate that, from the fire and safety services through to the arrangements for the handling, have really been exceptional.