Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Pensions must also be considered. There was a debacle with the pensions of the Irish airlines superannuation scheme, IASS. Other areas must be examined beyond connectivity and tourism. It is important we examine this carefully.

When senior executives stand to make €30 million, it is in their interests to sell off our airline. That seems to be how things have moved. The drive to privatisation has been a disaster for the country and is one this party was opposed to in respect of the sale of Aer Lingus, with the State ending up with 25% of the company. It is a shambles. Vital connectivity for this island nation, on which our regional airports depend, and continuity must be kept. We are building our tourism industry and the Minister has taken initiatives on this. Why would we sell something that is profitable and is delivering? Has the Minister sought support from other shareholders? We know the pilots hold a 7% stake while Ryanair holds 29%. Has Minister sought support from them?

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