Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I can answer one of the later questions first. There is ongoing engagement on the aviation sector between my Department and the airlines and at a high level in the Government. It is absolutely critical. I do not need to tell the Deputy or anybody in his region the importance of Ireland West Airport Knock to the region. When we come out of this pandemic, airports like Knock should be in a position to be able to rebound and get back their critical international connectivity not just for the west but Ireland as an island nation.

As the Deputy mentioned, €21.3 million has recently been announced as part of the regional airports programme. As part of the announcement last year, the Government also allocated the supplementary support scheme for Irish airports, amounting to €26 million. That is subject to state aid approval but Knock Airport is one of the facilities that would be able to avail of it, which would help to address liquidity issues.

The Deputy can be assured that it is of significant concern to me and the Government that all our airports can be in a position to come back and we can support them through this critical time, as he has stated.

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