Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Much of the Minister's reply was not incorrect but it largely amounted to a statement of regret for the situation we are in and an acknowledgement that things are bad in aviation. It seemed as if the Minister was asking, "What can we do?". That is not good enough. An awful lot of jobs are relying on the industry. Entire regions look to these airports as crucial to their futures.

Aviation is not like other businesses. We are not talking about a factory in Cork or Shannon that might be difficult to relocate. Once those aeroplanes are gone, there is no guarantee that they will ever come back to Cork or Shannon. There is no guarantee that these routes will ever be based out of these airports. We need to hear a vision from the Minister. We need a vision for the future of aviation and testing is at the heart of it.

See this speech in context