Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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286. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to instances in which airline companies recruit trainee pilots for flight time while grounding rostered contract and directly employed pilots; and if he has engaged with his European and UK counterparts in respect of this practice. [31847/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I am not aware of the practice in relation to rostering trainee pilots as described by the Deputy. Matters of staff rostering and management is an operational issue for each airline. All rostering must of course ensure that the crew assigned are correctly qualified for the air operation in question. From a safety perspective, no pilot can operate an aircraft without the appropriate qualifications for the operation i.e. an EASA pilot licence rated for the specific operations, as well as having completed the necessary operator line checks.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) is the competent authority for aviation safety regulation in Ireland, as provided for under the Irish Aviation Authority Act 1993. If there is any evidence that someone operated an aircraft without being licensed to do so, the IAA should be informed immediately.