Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

Very often airlines dictate the pace in respect of where they want to fly into and out of. Capital cities all over the world tend to draw the highest volume of traffic and interest and that has implications for regional locations. As the Deputy will be aware, there was a mid-term review of the current programme for regional airports with high-level outcomes announced in July last year and a public consultation was then undertaken. Shannon Airport benefited to some degree from inclusion in that, along with Cork Airport, Ireland West Airport in Knock, Kerry Airport and Donegal Airport. They continue to be eligible for funding. The potential for the development of an Exchequer funded programme or a commitment to broadening the scope of that programme to airports that handle more than 1 million passengers, which would apply to Shannon Airport, is under consideration by the Minister and the Government. That is an outcome of the review and it is being progressed as a matter of priority. The development of an Exchequer funded start-up aid scheme for airlines to support strategic route development to and from the regions is also being considered. What can we do to incentivise airlines to fly into and out of the regions?

We have the 2015 national aviation policy, which established the policy framework for the development of the aviation sector in Ireland. Its principal goals remain valid. However, the Department of Transport has commenced preparatory work on revising that policy and the Minister hopes to publish that in 2026. It will update existing policy in response to developments in the aviation sector and will include a focus on maximising the use of our regional airports in line with commitments made in the programme for Government. In our Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity, the Government committed to developing a long-term strategy for Irish airports as part of the review of the national aviation policy, recognising the dependency risk of having a large share of Irish air traffic going through a single airport, as the Deputy articulated. There will be a lot of engagement on that.

Tourism Ireland is also keen to promote regional connectivity in terms of the utilisation of the assets we have in the regions.

See this speech in context