Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for the important question. A number of Deputies have asked about national aviation policy. We are dealing with the 2015 national aviation policy, NAP. It established a policy framework for the development of the aviation sector in Ireland, which is critical. It is designed to create an environment that encourages the sector to enhance Ireland's connectivity, to foster the growth of aviation enterprise and maximise the contribution of aviation to Ireland's sustainable economic growth and development.

While the principal goals of the 2015 NAP remain valid, and it continues to guide decision-making, my Department has commenced preparatory work, at my request, on a review of the NAP with a view to bringing forward a new NAP. We will be engaging with the transport committee on that policy. The review will update existing policy in the context of developments in the sector in the period since 2015. Much has changed since then.

The Deputy referenced Shannon Airport, where we are seeing good growth. I agree with him that there is headroom and more capacity there. Shannon Airport can take up to 10 million passengers. In 2024, there were 2.1 million passengers. We are projecting approximately 2.21 million this year. It is also good to see significant growth in Cork Airport and all our other airports. We are seeing further growth in Ireland West Airport and the airports in Kerry and Donegal.

The update of our NAP is critical. The work has commenced. There will be detailed stakeholder engagement. Importantly, there will also be engagement with transport spokespeople across the House and with the Joint Committee on Transport. There is a fair bit of work to be done and I do not expect this to be concluded this year. I want input. We need to grow connectivity. As a country, we are successful in the whole area of aviation. We need to see how we can update that further. I agree with the Deputy that the policy needs to be updated. We have started the work and I am happy to engage specifically with the Deputy on the matter.

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