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

I welcome this motion. It is timely and valuable. I have been raising concerns about Cork Airport for several months now and the Minister has said that he will happily sit down with anyone to discuss them. I would certainly take up that opportunity because there are many issues regarding Cork Airport and transport in Cork generally that I would like to discuss with him.

There are about 2,200 jobs directly relying on Cork Airport but about 10,000 jobs rely on it indirectly with suppliers, baggage handlers and different things like that. Some of those jobs are gone and I am afraid that in many instances they may not return. Many more of those jobs are on ice. The point Deputy O'Reilly makes is quite right. Workers are on the bread line, are within an ace of poverty and are at the pin of their collars because of the mishandling of the EWSS and the fact that money that was owed to them - and still is as far as I am concerned - has been withheld. I urge the Minister to raise this issue with his Cabinet colleague, the Minister for Social Protection. The industry as a whole is under severe pressure but the supports that have been given to other parts of the economy have not been received in their totality by these workers in Aer Lingus.

Cork Airport is a key driver for the region and Project Ireland 2040 repeatedly refers to Cork being the fastest growing city in the State. That is the right objective and is an important counterbalance to Dublin but it cannot happen without a viable international airport. The fact is that the airport is facing a bleak situation at the minute. Ryanair flights have stopped for the next few weeks, there is no certainty of when they will restart and the threat of Aer Lingus removing its regional base is still there. Cork and Shannon airports are in a particular situation because they do not have the same support from public service obligations as other regional airports, although those airports could also do with more in that regard, and do not have the scale of traffic or the capital status that Dublin Airport has. A very particular strategy is needed for Cork and Shannon airports.

I welcome the additional funds that have been provided but we must go further than that. It will only be a stay of execution unless we get the fundamental structural stuff right and testing is a central part of that. We need to get that right. There are still very severe threats facing Cork Airport in terms of when the Ryanair flights will return and the regional base for Aer Lingus. The first priority must be the jobs of all those who are employed in Cork Airport or rely on it for their employment. After that, crucially, we must focus on its role for the region. We know we will not get back to anything like what we had before in the next few months or in the next year but even after this is over, Cork will need a viable international airport and the region will need a viable international airport and connectivity.

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