Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)

I wish to seek the Adjournment of Dáil Éireann under Standing Order 32 to raise a matter of extreme importance, namely, the announcement by Aer Lingus that three quarters of its cabin crew at Shannon Airport are to be made redundant. The airline has already failed to sign up to the new state-of-the-art US pre-clearance facility and there is now a serious threat over transatlantic services from Shannon as a result of these proposals. The New York service will be reduced to three flights weekly. Any diminution of Aer Lingus transatlantic services from Shannon will have serious implications for business and tourism sectors in the region, which are already under pressure during these difficult times. The Minister for Transport must intervene and use the Government's 25% shareholding in the airline to ensure daily US connectivity to the mid-west region.

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