Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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77. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to provide an update with timelines for the restoration of the Derry to Dublin air link. [63485/25]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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The announcement by the Government after such a long time that it will restore funding for the Dublin to Derry air link is extremely welcome. The population of the north west of Ireland is about 500,000. The removal of this air link was devastating and continued to devastate us for a long time. We need to get it restored as soon as possible. I want to get timelines for when we will have this link restored.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Mac Lochlainn for the question. I am taking it for the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, who cannot be here tonight. The programme for Government includes a clear commitment to engage with relevant stakeholders to establish air connectivity between Dublin and City of Derry airports. The Department of Transport is progressing the preparatory work necessary to establish a Dublin-Derry public service obligation air service in 2026. This service will enhance connectivity for the north west of the island pending progress on an upgrade to the A5 road transport corridor by the Executive, to which the Government has made a €600 million funding commitment.

As Deputy Mac Lochlainn will appreciate, significant engagement is required to establish this service. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has met representatives of Donegal County Council, Derry City and Strabane District Council and City of Derry Airport, where progress on the establishment of this service was discussed. Officials from the Department of Transport are engaging closely with the Department for the Economy in the North, the Department for Transport in the United Kingdom and City of Derry Airport, as well as with the European Commission in relation to any potential state aid implications and obligations. This close engagement will continue over the coming months.

Stakeholder engagement is also vital and in this regard a market sounding exercise is being progressed by the Department of Transport for publication in the coming weeks. This exercise will seek views on the specification required to meet expected demand for the service in terms of aircraft capacity, fare structures, frequency and timing of services. It is also expected that this engagement will confirm the interest in and recognised benefits of the PSO air service for stakeholders in Derry and the wider north-west region. As Deputy Mac Lochlainn will know, following this, it is anticipated that a tender for the PSO air service will be published by the Department of Transport early next year, with a view to services commencing by October 2026, or earlier if operationally feasible.

The Deputy has been a long-time advocate, to be fair to him. When he and I served in the Seanad, he raised this matter there too. I assure him that the current timetable is the optimal timeline to ensure that the detailed work required to establish a service on this route can be completed so that a new service can be launched successfully. As he knows, the shared island fund is committed to this. I look forward to working with the Deputy and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, on delivering services for the people of the north west.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Some 40% of the passengers who use the City of Derry Airport are from Donegal. The Minister of State understands the geography of Derry and how close it is to Donegal. It serves a region of about 500,000 people. If he gets a map of Ireland out, he will see that, unfortunately, we do not have a motorway connection. Our hearts have been broken with the A5 delays. We do not have a direct rail connection from Derry to Dublin and on to Donegal, so this air link is vital. It has been a long battle but it is good news and I welcome the Government's funding of it. I would like to bring it forward as soon as possible. From talking to the airport team, they feel confident they can do this in the first half of next year. I ask the Government to work in partnership with the airport. Let us take this project home. It will be a good news story for all the north west when it happens.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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I understand Deputy Mac Lochlainn's need to get this expedited. He makes a good point about there being no rail and no motorway, and the A5 delay. We should compliment the wonderful Local Link service in Donegal. The Deputy right. I will bring his comments back to the Department officials. I assure him that the current timeline proposed is the optimum one to ensure that important stakeholder engagement and the preparatory work are completed and we can deliver this important service. He is right that we share this. It is an important service that needs to be delivered. It would provide subsidised transport connectivity for the people of Derry and, by extension, Donegal, particularly north-east Donegal. It would also complement the Donegal and Dublin PSO air service which serves the western region of Donegal well. It is important that we have joined-up connectivity for the north west. It will improve transport connectivity. I concur with the Deputy that it is necessary.

In addition, the proposed timeline has also taken into account the lead time, which is necessary for the successful carrier to set up operations and sell fares on the new route. I assure the Deputy that, from our end, we will not be delaying this. We all want to see this service up, running, supported and used, because it is critical. I take the Deputy's point on board.