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

The discussion today takes place against the backdrop of the announcement last week of the job cuts by Aer Lingus at its base in Shannon. The Minister of State, in words that probably should not have been said, noted that it was very regrettable. The axing of 120 jobs by Aer Lingus at its base in Shannon is much more than that. It is a very bitter blow to the mid-west region and the wider community there. It is particularly devastating to the workers and their families. Many aviation staff have been receiving the state income supplements for the last 14 months and now they are also facing job losses. While these job losses are deeply disappointing, when one considers how this Government has handled aviation generally, they are hardly surprising.

I met the workers over a year ago. They still have no idea as to what Shannon will be like after we emerge from the pandemic. In respect of the aviation industry, the Government response has been slow and insufficient and the Government has been too reactive. The key issue concerns connectivity around the airport. The flights out of Shannon Airport into Heathrow, Boston and New York must continue and the jobs of the workers in Shannon and the wider region need to be retained. While responsibility for the job losses lies with Aer Lingus, it clear that the Government aviation policy, or lack of one, has contributed to the uncertainty and frustrations faced by aviation workers. Indeed, the Irish Air Line Pilots Association has stated that lay-offs were a direct result of Government policy and its continued inaction on aviation. Fórsa, the cabin crews' trade union, added that the losses might have been avoided if the Government had moved faster to support aviation and had given a clear indication of when and how air travel would resume - an indication that we still have not received from the Minister for Transport.

I worked in the industry for 19 years. I know exactly how difficult it is to retain routes. When we lose them, they are lost. What is going on in aviation in this State is not some new crisis that has arisen unexpectedly. The aviation industry has been in crisis for over a year. Job losses, grounded operations and a lack of guidelines as to when and how the industry can reopen have led us to this point. What has the Minister done? Very little, it seems. Unfortunately, to date the Minister for Transport's contribution on aviation would not leave one optimistic for the future. He was clearly asleep at the wheel on this. Shannon Airport is literally dying in front of us. The Minister must intervene on the matter.

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