Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton. She has a difficult and challenging job, as have many in the Government. The aviation industry is critical given the fact that this is an island nation. We are behind the curve of other European countries in terms of putting cash into the airline industry. Many other areas of aviation have been affected aside from just the direct airline industry. Those are the associated companies.

Aviation and Shannon Airport have been extremely good for the mid-west over the last 50 years.The boom was saw in the 1960s, the 1970s and even the 1980s in the mid-west was largely due to Shannon Airport and the associated companies that located in Shannon and employed people there, simply because of its proximity to an international airport. Among these we have seen world leading aviation companies, particularly in the area of aviation leasing. We are number one in the world as a gold standard aviation leasing industry. Thousands of people work not just in the mid-west but in companies that developed in the mid-west and have spread throughout the country, including Dublin. These companies lease aircraft and do deals the length and breadth of the world. These companies are now finding it extremely difficult. Unfortunately, because of the world crash in aviation they are in a perilous situation. Many of the employees are very concerned about their jobs. We need a master plan not just for the airline industry but for aviation in general. There is absolutely no reason for Ireland not just to maintain but to develop as a leader in aviation associated companies and industries, not only in leasing but in pilot training and aircraft engineering. I want to see a blueprint and plan for the aviation industry to get it through the pandemic and then grow it into what it has been and what it potentially can be.

The notion of one airport in the country competing against another has to go. I support the proposals of the Oireachtas transport committee that we establish a single airport authority. I was always sceptical about the proposal to break up the airports, as happened when Shannon Airport was made independent of Dublin and Cork. The industry and business sectors in the region supported it at the time. It probably needed to be tried but we need to bring Shannon Airport into one entity with Dublin Airport and Cork Airport. That entity should be properly funded so all three airports can prosper.