Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have been inundated with concerns from constituents in Clare over the uncertainty that Shannon Airport faces and the associated implications for jobs right across our region in future. Jobs in the airport and nearby industrial estates are at risk, as are jobs in the tourism sector in Clare and across the mid-west. We know Shannon Airport acts as a vital gateway for tourism and business coming into Clare and the wider mid-west, and offers citizens great connectivity to swathes of the world. It clearly has a vital role to play as an engine for regional economic growth as we fight to recover from this Covid-19 crisis. We know the challenges faced by the airport are huge, financially and logistically, given the total shutdown of international flights and tourism as a whole on this island.

I highlighted these issues previously, and here I am again reiterating these same points. We know we are facing unprecedented times and that we have been battling a pandemic. That fact is appreciated. What is needed now is forward thinking and planning, backed up with commitments and direct action, and this needs to be done in a timely fashion.

In this context, I am extremely disappointed by the action of Aer Lingus in its recent announcement of the lay-off of staff at Shannon Airport.

Not for the first time, Aer Lingus has shown little regard for the needs of our region's community as a whole. All Deputies remember its ill-fated transfer of slots from Shannon Airport to Belfast in 2007. That proved to be a poor decision, just as Aer Lingus' current treatment of Shannon will come to be seen as another major error of judgment. However, Aer Lingus appeared happy to maintain two flights per day to Cork with an average of only 16 passengers. That fact has not been lost on the workers of Shannon Airport or the wider mid-west population. We need the routes back, with priority given to London Heathrow and possibly Birmingham. Those routes are essential as a support for much-needed investment, job creation and job retention in Shannon. We need this connectivity to be prioritised and we need the Minister to intervene.

I welcomed the announcement by the Minister's colleague, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, that he would meet Aer Lingus. However, I was dismayed that even after I and others highlighted the plight of Shannon Airport, the Minister, Deputy Ross, did not seek to roll up his sleeves and get directly involved. Workers in Shannon Airport are to be laid off from 21 June until 29 August and without any guarantee of being able to return. They know that this measure only applies to workers in Shannon Airport and not to staff in Dublin or Cork airports. The workers are asking why Shannon is being discriminated against.

There is a real fear that this might be the end of all Aer Lingus flights from Shannon. We already know all other transatlantic carriers that fly into Shannon have confirmed they will not return until next spring at the earliest. The future for Shannon Airport and the jobs that depend on its connectivity appears very bleak indeed. This situation cries out for direct ministerial intervention. Every possible option and-or solution must be examined.

It is important that the separation of Shannon Airport in 2012 be revisited. I remind the Minister that Sinn Féin did not support that separation in the first instance. The Government is currently supporting the company during this crisis to help it to retain staff. Many Aer Lingus employees will be in a very vulnerable financial situation if unilateral changes proceed and leave the remaining employees on 30% of their salary. I am calling on the Minister to intervene without further delay.

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