Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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200. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when a survival plan will be produced to safeguard the aviation sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25323/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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On 14 April, industry members of the National Civil Aviation Development Forum published an Aviation Restart Plan which made several recommendations they considered necessary for the restart and recovery of the Irish aviation sector. These recommendations require engagement across all relevant government departments and consultation with public health authorities, which is now underway.

We are now also assessing additional details that I had requested of the NCADF on their plan on how key stakeholders will ramp up operations incrementally as restrictions ease, while ensuring agreed public health and safety measures remain in effect.

Government continues to advise against all non-essential international travel, to protect public health and to mitigate the risk of new variants of COVID-19 entering Ireland.

A roadmap for the re-opening of international travel will be considered in the coming weeks, which will take account of both the progress made with our national vaccination programme and public health advice. Several Government Departments are involved in the restart of international travel, including work on EU COVID-19 Certificates.

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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201. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will report on talks with a company (details supplied) to provide additional financial supports; if State funding provided will be on the basis that strategic routes from Shannon Airport such as Heathrow, New York and Boston are protected; when these talks will conclude; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25324/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The Government has put in place a range of supports for businesses, including those in the aviation sector. The supports include the wage subsidy scheme, alleviation of commercial rates, deferral of tax liabilities, the COVID Restrictions Support Scheme, the Credit Guarantee Scheme, and the SBCI Working Capital Scheme. My Department has estimated that over €200 million in operational supports was received by Irish airlines and airports in 2020 under a number of these schemes.

€80 million in aviation specific supports were announced by the Government last November. This will go some way towards addressing the damage caused by COVID-19 and give airports the flexibility to roll out, in consultation with airlines, route incentives/charge rebates, when the time is right. My Department is currently assessing applications for this funding and hopes to be positioned to disburse compensation in the coming weeks.

Liquidity support was made available to Aer Lingus through the ISIF Pandemic Stabilisation and Recovery Fund, with €150 million provided in debt funding. This investment is designed to complement ongoing investment by Aer Lingus’s parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), in the airline.

It remains open to the airline to engage directly with the relevant agencies concerned with a view to drawing down additional support, with the amount of any such support sought being a commercial matter.