Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak in this important debate. As an island nation, international travel is of enormous importance for business and tourism. The aviation sector underpins 140,000 jobs, as does the tourism sector, on which also depend hundreds of thousands of jobs. Shannon Airport adds €3.6 billion to the GDP of our country and supports 43,700 jobs. The footprint of aviation-related companies in the Shannon area is very strong. We have aviation-related companies operating in the areas of leasing and maintenance, repair and overhaul, MRO. The devastating announcement last week from Aer Lingus concerning the shutting of its Shannon cabin crew base permanently came as a thunderbolt. It will have massive repercussions for the mid-west region and for Shannon. It is critical that the Government intervenes in this situation.

Aer Lingus is back at the table and looking for money and it is important that the State provides that money on the basis that the key strategic routes from Shannon to Heathrow, New York and Boston are maintained. It is also vital that we secure the Aer Lingus cabin crew base at Shannon Airport and the jobs of those workers as part of this deal. In addition, the Shannon-Heathrow slots must be secured for at least a decade as well. We can look at the actions of other governments across the globe, which have invested billions in supporting their aviation companies. In the case of Lufthansa, the German Government stepped up to the plate and provided investment, as did the Italian Government in respect of Alitalia. We must follow suit.

Regarding international travel, the Government has dragged its feet in publishing a plan. It is welcome news that this plan will be finally published on Friday. It is important that that statement deals with the harmonisation of travel in respect of the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland. We must fully implement the provisions of the European Commission's digital green certificate and do it in time. It is also important that we remove any restrictions on quarantine requirements concerning travel from the United States. That is an important market for us. I also support the use of antigen testing. Again, we are behind the curve in this regard. In the United Kingdom, the United States and across Europe, rapid antigen testing is widely used in societies and communities as well as in aviation. It is important that we embrace that method and take on board the scientific evidence and the report of Professor Mark Ferguson.

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