Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Independent Group for introducing this important motion. Since I was elected to the House in February, I have been raising the issue of Shannon Airport. In light of Covid, I have been raising it as often as possible. I have met employees, trade union representatives, stakeholders and the Shannon Group. There have been debates and questions in the Dáil and we feel like we are in a loop. Specific answers must be given on what is to be done with Shannon Airport.

I cannot stress enough to the Minister of State how important the airport is to our region. Some 15,000 jobs are directly dependent and 45,000 or 46,000 jobs are indirectly dependent on Shannon Airport. It is very important to ensure the future of the airport is protected because it serves not only Limerick city but the whole mid-west region. As Deputy Connolly stated, people from Galway and all over the region use the airport.

I welcome the Minister's commitment to provide additional funding for the aviation industry in 2021. It has been obvious for some time that Government funding would be needed and it is good to see the Minister recognise this. The Government press release on the matter stated it was an acknowledgement of the challenges facing the aviation industry. These challenges have been widely known for some time. In fact, the recommendations made in the final report of the task force for aviation recovery were submitted on 12 July 2020. Four months have passed since then, winter flights have been suspended, jobs have been lost and the whole region's development has been threatened. While yesterday's news is, therefore, to be welcomed, it would have been much more welcome earlier in the year. The Government has not got to grips swiftly enough with the aviation crisis. Actions that should have been taken months ago are only being taken now. Criticism of Government policy, or lack thereof, has been made not only by the Opposition; it has been made constantly by the major airlines and stakeholders for months. It is now time for the aviation task force recommendations to be implemented in full. If they are not, the aviation industry and, by extension, the economic development of the region will be put at risk.

I support the aim of the motion to recognise that transatlantic flights from Shannon Airport can be operated with a reduced carbon footprint per passenger than those operating from Dublin. The Minister spoke about looking to the future. I welcome the commitment to spur lines. I ask the Minister to provide specifics on how a spur line could be developed between the Limerick-Galway railway line and Shannon Airport. As the Minister knows, the train from Galway to Limerick passes through many areas of Limerick city where stations could be added. I recommend diverting every second bus from Cork to Galway to Shannon Airport. We need to look at ways of supporting the airport to ensure this vital infrastructure, on which the economy of the mid-west region depends, gets the support it needs. I do not believe the Minister has acted swiftly enough to date. People's jobs are under pressure and they are stressed out.

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