Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to bring the issue of Kerry Airport before the House. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, for being present to address it.

Continuation of the reductions in Kerry to Dublin flights is impacting severely on tourism and business in County Kerry and on jobs as Kerry Airport. Will the Minister bring forward to a more immediate date the public service obligation contract which was originally scheduled for July?

A new Ryanair schedule will see a further reduction in flights to and from Kerry and Dublin. We were contacted on this during the weekend. The schedule to be introduced in April will see just one return flight to Kerry each day and varying times on different days. The new schedule is likely to have a significant effect on business travellers using the route as it will no longer be possible to make a return flight to and from Kerry within one working day.

Under a public service obligation contract, Ryanair had provided three daily return services on the Kerry to Dublin route. Last November Ryanair pulled out of the public service obligation contract and reduced the service to one flight from Kerry to Dublin on weekday mornings and a return flight from Dublin to Kerry each evening. Ryanair blamed the decision on rising costs and the then Government's refusal to increase the public service obligation subsidy. Under a new schedule to come into effect next week just one Ryanair flight from Dublin to Kerry each day and the same plane will then make a return flight directly back to Dublin.

The current 9.25 a.m. weekday service from Kerry to Dublin will be replaced by a 1.55 p.m. service on Monday, 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, 11.40 a.m. on Wednesday and 4.25 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, with no return option possible until the following day. As the Minister of State knows, the economy of County Kerry is hugely dependent on Kerry Airport and unless the situation is addressed in the immediate future the effects of peripherality on the county will be further exacerbated.

Kerry will be further disadvantaged in these tough economic times. The advancement of the commencement date of the public service obligation contract is of paramount importance and I appeal to the Minister of State to deal with this issue as a matter of urgency.

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