daa Response to Transport Committee’s Aviation Report

Dublin and Cork airports operator daa notes today’s publication of the Issues Affecting the Aviation Industry report by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications Networks.

The 48-page report, which follows a series of Committee hearings on the sector earlier this year in which daa participated, has 20 key short-term and medium-term recommendations.

The report argues that the Government should set out a clear strategy to safely increase levels of international air travel in 2021 and encourage consumer confidence with respect to air travel. This will be strongly supported by the Irish aviation and tourism sectors.

daa welcomes the report’s recommendations in relation to the introduction and acceptance of rapid pre-departure antigen testing, as daa has been calling for such a system for several months.

daa also welcomes the recommendation that the proposed Airport Charges Rebate Scheme be extended to September 2021 but believes that the scheme could be extended even further. The proposal that Cork Airport be included within the Regional Airports Funding Programme for capital and operational funding from 2020 to 2025 is welcome.

“Dublin and Cork airports are at the heart of an aviation eco-system that is vital to the Irish economy and that eco-system has been devasted by the impact of COVID-19 this year,” said daa Chief Executive Dalton Philips. “Data from Eurocontrol, which oversees air traffic control throughout 41 European states, shows that that Ireland’s connectivity has been among the most damaged during the pandemic,” he added.

“daa thanks the Committee for its work in relation to the aviation sector. We will now study the report in detail and continue to engage with members of the Committee, the Government, our airline customers and other key stakeholders in relation to how we can work together to help rebuild Ireland’s vital air connectivity.”

For reference:
Paul O’Kane 353 86 609 0221