Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. Many airplanes are gathering dust on the apron of the runway at Shannon Airport. I understand that public health guidance is preventing them from taking to the skies. However, we need to know why there are still many inbound and outbound flights at Dublin Airport and Cork Airport but virtually none from Shannon. Any open air links in and out of this country must be spread evenly. There is a lot more to this country than the Dublin economy.

I hope the Minister of State will intervene with respect to Ryanair's refund policy. I use the words "refund policy" quite loosely. These days there are Ryanair flights carrying single passengers. This is absolutely crazy. When people seeking to follow Government advice against international travel phone Ryanair to cancel their bookings, they are told by management that the planes are in the sky and whether to fly is the passenger's choice. This flies in the face of good consumer practice. Some passengers are being charged €600 or more in administrative fees to change their flights.

I must insist that any funding that the aviation recovery task force awards to the Shannon Group must be fully conditional on the company keeping the Shannon Heritage sites open throughout the autumn and winter months. The Shannon Group management plans to shut these sites at a time when we are desperately trying to attract tourists to the region for staycations. It makes no sense whatsoever to shut these iconic sites when we are trying to satisfy the needs of a very buoyant domestic tourism market. I hope the Minister of State will expressly intervene in this matter. We need all of the recommendations of the aviation recovery task force to be acted on immediately.

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