Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome. I do not believe I have spoken to her before. The coronavirus pandemic has massively impacted many industries in this country and across the globe. In this country, however, aviation has been particularly affected. What has the Government done about it?

In 2018, there were 140,000 jobs in aviation and the air transport sector in Ireland. In addition to that employment, 105,000 jobs were supported and created by those 140,000 jobs. Approximately 4,000 workers have already left the industry since the outbreak of the pandemic. Only last week, the president of the Irish Air Line Pilots Association, IALPA, warned that 5,000 more will be lost before winter.

I have stated that these 4,000 jobs were butchered by this Government's inaction and a further 5,000 will soon be butchered too. Some 480 jobs went when Stobart Air closed down; 3,000 more jobs might go in Ryanair very soon if pay cuts cannot be agreed. Despite the Government's shock and dismay at Ryanair cutbacks, and all the finger-wagging that was done in this House, more jobs have gone and more will continue to go in all our airlines. So, yes; jobs have been butchered. The worst part is that is not the end. This is only the beginning of the damage to the aviation industry. This will get worse until the Government decides to help make it better. How then can we make things better?

To begin with, where is the EU digital certificate that will allow Irish people to travel? Last week, 12 countries were using the pass already. Ireland will not be using it until 19 July, which is three weeks away. The aviation industry in this country does not have three weeks. According to the EU website today, Ireland is technically ready to connect to the EU digital Covid certificate, DCC, gateway, Why, therefore, are we not connected? What is the delay?

There have been calls for a new task force and an approved restart plan. I was shocked to learn from an article in The Irish Times last month that this country had a restart plan for our dog parlour industry before we had a restart plan for our aviation industry. Does air travel and this sector of our economy not mean anything to us? Do we not care about the livelihoods of 245,000 Irish people?

Throughout this pandemic, we have been told to follow the data and science. This nation is unique to the hundreds of other nations across the world that allow antigen testing. On this point of antigen testing, Ireland is following no data and no science. Rather, Ireland is following the cautions of the National Public Health Emergency Team, Dr. Tony Holohan and Dr. Mary Keogan, who warned that antigen testing could be falsified. This is bad management on the part of the Government and the Minister. Does our public health body know something that nations across the globe do not know? Antigen testing directly before a flight is not foolproof; no scientific test is. However, it is a further layer of protection and a further step to opening up. It would be a further commitment to our airlines and people working in those airlines.In November, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, said that the coronavirus resulted in a sharp reduction in air travel not just in Ireland but across the globe and in Europe. That is untrue. We have had a 90% reduction in flights from 2019 to the present in this country, according to the EUROCONTROL reports. Meanwhile, Germany, for example, has only experienced a decrease of 59%. We are falling behind and we cannot afford to.

Ireland owns and operates 60% of the world's leased aircraft. We are a small island nation and 90% of our inward travel is by plane. We are a growing economy and rely on foreign direct investment that executives travelling to Ireland bring. Yet, here we are with one of the worst affected and least supported aviation industries in the world.

The German Government has pumped €10 billion into Lufthansa. What has our aviation industry received? A sum of €80 million and an old task force looking after it. We cannot just throw money at it; that is not what I suggest. We must start to support the aviation industry, however. We must start to listen to its pleas and consider a plan. The aviation industry needs the Government to show it a guiding light but right now, I dare say this Government does not have a guiding light and this is not acceptable. I urge the Government to prioritise the aviation industry before it is too late.