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

To maintain Shannon as a viable international airport, it is crucial that connectivity be maintained, especially the routes to London Heathrow, Boston and New York. Having worked in the travel industry for 19 years, I have no doubt that travel restrictions were necessary to combat the pandemic. What is also evident is that the lack of Government support for the industry has put us in a situation where we may lose an international airport and the associated jobs and connectivity. Aviation workers need a recovery plan. In fact, they needed such a plan months ago. It is simply unacceptable that we do not have chairperson of the Shannon Group. At a time of crisis, it is simply staggering that the position remains unfilled. I appreciate and am sympathetic to the challenges posed by protecting an aviation industry when passenger flights have been grounded due to public health but dithering does not save jobs or airports.

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