Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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231. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will identify all capital, safety supports and any other grant or support funding given over the past ten years under each funding head to each individual airport, in tabular form; if the report issuing captures all Government or departmental subventions over the period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24429/22]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Over the course of the past ten years grant aid totalling almost €76 million has been provided to support essential safety and security related projects and activities at Ireland’s smaller regional airports. While the vast majority of funding was provided under the Regional Airports Programme, capital funding was provided to City of Derry Airport for essential safety works in 2012 as part of the North/South Co-operation, and in line with the Good Friday Agreement.

Funding to each airport, under each funding scheme over the ten year period 2012-2021 is outlined as follows (as is a description of each scheme):

In addition to the above and in recognition of the very difficult circumstances faced by our airports during Covid and taking account of the recommendations of the Taskforce for Aviation Recovery, the Government also allocated over €144 million in Covid specific supports to airports, which provided connectivity in 2021.

This Covid specific funding in 2021 is outlined as follows:

By virtue of their size and passenger numbers, Shannon and Cork Airports had never been eligible for funding under the Regional Airports Programme. However, Government provided over €28 million in capital and operational supports in 2021 under a Covid-19 Regional State Airports Programme 2021 to these airports.

A further unprecedented €116 million was allocated to Irish airports under an EU State Aid approved Covid Supplementary Support Scheme. This funding has compensated our small regional airports at Donegal, Ireland West and Kerry for the damage caused to them by Covid as well as having provided our State airports at Dublin, Shannon and Cork with the flexibility to roll out route incentives/charge rebates, in consultation with airlines, supporting recovery and growth of connectivity.

I can confirm to the Deputy that the above tables capture all Departmental subventions to airports over the period 2012-2021.