Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and join in wishing her a happy birthday. I wish to raise the issue of Shannon Airport, which has been through a very turbulent time in regard to Aer Lingus and a number of routes being closed down. That said, there have been many announcements by Ryanair regarding many holiday destinations. Many businesses in the Shannon area, however, that is, in Limerick and in the mid-west region are dependent on routes out of Shannon Airport. While I welcome that there is now connectivity with Heathrow and the announcement on the American side of things that issues around border control will open up shortly and that routes will be back, perhaps in November, it is really important that the Government takes a thorough look at Shannon Airport. There has been major investment in regard to businesses expanding and businesses locating in the mid-west region and that is down to connectivity with our friends in the US and with Europe. As for Heathrow, we have had Brexit and we also need to look at connectivity in terms of a European hub. This is very important for businesses in the mid-west because prior to the pandemic, many businesses stated when they opened up or announced that they were locating in the mid-west, that it was down to education as well. We have three third level education institutions in the mid-west and they have helped, along with connectivity.

Many aviation companies have opened in Limerick and around the Shannon area. There is everything from aircraft leasing to the education and training board putting on a skills training course for aircraft maintenance. While Shannon Airport is separate, under the remit of Dublin Airport, the Government needs to give a boost to Shannon and the mid-west. I welcome the fact that Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Naughton, visited Shannon Airport recently and we saw an investment of over €6 million for a new baggage carrier. There will be many benefits arising from that and it will shorten the length of time people must wait. As we have a very long runway in Shannon, there are many things going for Shannon Airport but we need Government support and investment.