Limerick TD urges government plan amid Aer Lingus uncertainty

LIMERICK Sinn Fein TD Maurice Quinlivan has urged government and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to bring forward a plan to tackle the aviation crisis.

It comes amid massive fears at Shannon that Aer Lingus will cut its base at Limerick’s local airport.

The flag carrier is seeking 500 redundancies, after travel was decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Quinlivan, who is chair of the enterprise committee said: “The government’s handling of foreign travel advice to the public has been shambolic. We are checking people's social welfare status but not for Covid-19 in our airports. All the while, thousands of workers in the aviation industry are fearing for their positions, with the government yet to put a plan in place for the sector.”

Mr Quinlivan says pilots and cabin crew with Aer Lingus are worried its parent firm IAG might sacrifice Ireland’s national airline to keep its other firms afloat.

“Given that it doesn’t appear that international travel will return to normal anytime soon, these fears are legitimate, and the government must act accordingly,” he said, “Workers in Aer Lingus at Shannon have been let down by successive administrations, with Fianna Fáil, the Green Party, Fine Gael and Labour all party to the shameful sell-off of the national airline.”

“We cannot afford to lose Aer Lingus. The government must listen to the legitimate concerns of pilots and staff at the airline and put a comprehensive plan in place to support the aviation sector. Connectivity is the life blood of the mid-west economy. This announcement will worry not just those directly threatened by this statement but also by businesses and the huge numbers employed across the Mid-West,” Mr Quinlivan concluded.