Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Today's announcement by Ryanair that it will stop the service to Cork is devastating news for the workers, Cork Airport and the wider region. Before Covid-19, Cork Airport was Ireland's fastest growing airport and in the face of Brexit and the Covid-19 crisis, now is the time to build Cork Airport up and position Cork as a counterbalance to Dublin. Without an airport, this is impossible so we need the Minister's support. The spin about this week's budget was focused on pro-jobs and pro-business but today we heard that 70 people directly employed by Ryanair, 1,900 directly employed by the airport and over 10,000 employed in the wider area will be affected by this closure. It is devastating news. What will the Government do to step in and support Cork and Shannon airports?

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