David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is nice to be making history today with the first Commencement matter. I welcome the new changes. I welcome the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to the House as well. We were going to discuss this issue before Christmas, but the Minister had other arrangements on the day I tabled the motion. I thank him for coming to the House to discuss it on our first day back.

I support regional airports because they are very important for local and regional economies, especially in the south east. Waterford Airport, which serves the entire south-east region and not just Waterford, is important for business, enterprise, tourism and the economy generally in the south east. It has been providing air transport services for the region for the last 30 years. It currently provides a number of scheduled services. The Minister will be aware that Flybe is withdrawing all of its services in the first quarter of this year. This will create a difficulty for the management and the board of the airport. They are actively seeking alternative carriers at present.

Waterford Airport is a base for search and rescue operations. The Irish Coast Guard's Sikorsky S92, which is based at the airport, provides emergency rescue cover for the entire south and east of Ireland, including medical evacuation, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The airport also has an aero club with between 80 and 100 members. Obviously, corporate jets use the airport for the purposes of doing business with enterprise in the region. Genzyme, Sanofi, Audi, NuVasive and West Pharma are among the companies that have used the airport for these purposes. It is a hugely important regional airport for the south east.

Passenger traffic at the airport for the full calendar year of 2014 increased by 17.9% by comparison with the 2013 figure. This shows that the airport is serving its catchment area. There is certainly potential at Waterford Airport. People want to use it. I met representatives of the airport's management, including its chief executive officer and its general manager, last week. They are very grateful for the operational expenditure subvention they get from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the capital expenditure subvention they also get. They have not received any capital expenditure investment for infrastructural development since 2007.

Everybody accepts that we are in straitened times. Everybody accepts that the capital funding of all sorts of projects was put on hold and frozen because of the economic situation we found ourselves in. In 2007, a previous Minister for Transport promised under Transport 21 that €22.3 million would be provided for the airport. This funding was to be used to extend the runway to 2,300 m, which would allow much bigger aircraft to use the airport. I think the airport accepts that such an extension is not possible at this time. It has opted for a slimmed-down version. I understand it has received planning permission for an extension of up to 350 m. That will make it somewhat easier for the airport to get alternative carriers with different types of aircraft to use the airport.

Can the Minister remind us of what funding has gone into the airport from the State? Can he give us his own views on regional airports and Waterford Airport in particular? Is he aware of the issues with scheduled services at the airport that I have mentioned? What level of funding, if any, is he prepared to put in place at the airport?