24 September 2020
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
“Ryanair are threatening to pull out. So are Aer Lingus…”
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, TD for Cork South-Central, used his Dail time yesterday to raise ongoing issues at Cork Airport, with the Minister for Transport.
Deputy Ó Laoghaire said:
“There are countless local people relying on Cork Airport for jobs and income. 2,200 directly, and another 10,000 indirectly. Those thousands of families are deeply worried at this time.
“Ryanair are threatening to pull out. So are Aer Lingus. They do not know what the future will hold for them and their employment.
“Whilst I understand that decisions were made in the interest of public health regarding international travel, and I support those public health decisions, we do need a plan for the future.
“We know that aviation will not go back to normal today or tomorrow. But, we also know that Cork will still need air travel after this pandemic. It will still need a viable international airport, to be able to grow in accordance with the Ireland 2040 targets, indeed to be the fastest growing city in the state.
“It seems to me that the new Government has largely disregarded the aviation taskforce report, but not come up with a plan of their own. My priority is working with management and workers in Cork Airport to seek solutions.
“We need direct investment in airports, and we need a high-quality testing regime. I have submitted Dáil questions to the Minister for Transport in recent days, and have raised this issue on a number of occasions. I hope that we will finally get comprehensive answers.
