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

I thank all the Deputies who made important contributions. I assure them the Government is acutely aware of the devastating impact Covid-19 is having on the aviation industry, on families and workers and on those who are impacted by the sector. I thank the Oireachtas joint committee for the work it has carried out in keeping this topic in the spotlight over the past 15 months through the various meetings that have been held during this time. This week, the committees, the Seanad and the Dáil have assisted in our understanding of the complexities of the needs and concerns of stakeholders in aviation and the public in balancing the economic impacts against the public health imperative. It is through such cross-governmental collaboration with the public interest at its heart that I believe we will navigate this crisis, with care and caution, towards an ultimate reopening of international travel. The Government is fully aware of the pressure those in aviation are under and the frustration present in the industry. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, and I will continue to engage with the aviation industry, the airports and the air carriers, individually and collectively through the national civil aviation development forum.

A number of Deputies raised important issues and I addressed many of them in my opening statement. A number raised the midwest region and Shannon Airport. There is real concern in the midwest region about the lack of transatlantic flights and about the Heathrow slots. As I said earlier, Aer Lingus has assured the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and me there was no strategic intent to reduce connectivity out of Shannon Airport. I fully expected Aer Lingus to resume flights at Shannon Airport gradually as restrictions are eased over the coming months.

I advise Deputies that in the coming weeks the Tánaiste will make an announcement as part of the programme for Government commitment to establish a Shannon estuary task force, recognising that Shannon Airport is a key economic driver and that the midwest region is critical. In total last year and this year, €30 million in Government supports has been made available to Shannon Group, through economy-wide supports and supports specific to the aviation sector. We have ensured that all of our aviation infrastructure, airports and regional airports have been supported and are in a position to be able to rebound and grow as we come out of this crisis. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, and I have placed a big emphasis on this over recent months.

The Covid-19 virus is our shared concern and the public health objective is the starting point. The Government has consistently adopted a cautious approach to international travel and has worked to ensure any necessary air travel is done safely. There was some optimism last summer that aviation in Europe would have been well on its way to recovery by the end of 2020 but, unfortunately, this did not transpire. Instead, there were significant rates of infection throughout Europe and globally in the autumn. This was compounded by the importation of the B117 variant, which swept through the country following the partial reopening during Christmas, followed by other emerging variants of concern. Flight bans were introduced here for the first time as an emergency response to the new variant strains of Covid-19. These flight bans were quickly replaced by a pre-departure test requirement. As soon as possible thereafter, a system of mandatory quarantine was established in law.

Despite some initial start-up issues, as expected with any new system, the mandatory quarantine system assisted in containing the seeding of new cases of Covid-19 and variants of concern in the State, while we endeavoured to manage persistent high rates of community transmission at the same time. However, the current course of Covid-19 means international travel is reduced to essential journeys only. In this context, the aviation sector is operating at very low levels of activity, as the House is well aware.

The industry and its employees have shown great fortitude over the past 15 months in supporting the public health measures through implementing the protocols for passenger travel, Covid-19 proofing our airports and denying boarding at the gates to those passengers who do not comply with Ireland's public health measures. Through the labour employer economic forum, LEAF, process which I chair, involving employer and employee representative bodies, it has been acknowledged there will inevitably be a lag in aviation reopening compared to other economic sectors. However, we will continue to explore the supports needed to sustain industry in trading its way back to recovery when that time is signalled. In particular, the wage supports have been hugely important in maintaining the connection between employers and employees. There will be no cliff edge in State supports, as has been previously outlined.

I encourage the aviation sector to continue to engage with me, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and departmental officials in the work in bringing forward proposals and in the preparation for a recovery and restart for international travel. Of course, we need a strong and sustainable economy in which international travel and aviation are central. However, the risk to public health remains the driver of the Government's response, planning and action.

Ireland has a proud history in aviation and our reputation internationally is exceptional. It fits well with our culture of global citizenship and has always enabled the Irish diaspora to set its sights further beyond the immediate horizon. Aviation connects us with the world and we will strive to ensure that in future connectivity is maintained with Europe, the common travel area, on transatlantic routes and to many other global destinations. It is with this perspective that we will build back better and more resilient to face future shocks. The policies and targets we are setting now for sustainability and climate action will ensure this resilience. Our aviation industry, airports and air carriers will play an important role in this transition over time.

In addition, balanced regional development is at the heart of our programme for Government. We recognise that all parts of Ireland must be able to prosper. The silence that has descended over our regional airports is indicative of the disproportionate impact a crisis such as this can have on the regions, particularly our smaller regional airports such as Donegal, Ireland West Airport Knock and Kerry. For this reason, out of a budget of almost €80 million in 2021 approximately 78% is being targeted at regional airports, with Cork and Shannon receiving almost 43% of the overall budget. We will continue to do what we can to support these airports and we will keep the situation under constant review as part of budget 2022.

With regard to the immediate crisis and the need to get international travel back up and running, this is vital for the continued economic well-being of the country and remains a priority for the Government. However, this can only be accomplished through the consideration of the progression of Covid-19, the national vaccination programme, developments at EU and international level and our public health advice. The Government will set out its position this week.

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