Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 February 2022
65. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his Department and the IDA have endeavoured to attract sustainable aviation industries and new aviation industries relating to devices such as drones to County Clare. [6713/22]
View answerOver the last three years, IDA Ireland has supported several initiatives and programmes in its aviation client base in Shannon. Government support has helped to retain employment as the impact of the global pandemic hit the global aviation industry and aviation-related companies in Shannon.
By targeting training and R&D, as well as other initiatives, through IDA Ireland the Government has helped to retain the competitiveness of the aviation industry in Shannon and across Ireland.
Despite the devastation of the pandemic to the international travel industry, IDA has continued to market Shannon and the Mid-West for aviation-related activities. In recent months, as the global industry returns to some measure of normality, a number of these client companies have again begun to actively recruit and have seen an upturn in revenues.
In 2021, the Irish Aviation Authority in conjunction with the Future Mobility Campus Ireland initiative opened a dedicated flight test corridor in Shannon, Co. Clare. This initiative will help us to better understand the operation of drones near commercial airspace.
Additionally, Fedex, in conjunction with SkyPort, are currently testing business-to-business cargo deliveries from their Shannon Airport air-freight logistics hub to customers in Foynes in Limerick.
IDA Ireland anticipates a positive future for the industry and has welcomed several new initiatives in the Clare and Shannon areas. Should current market trends continue to improve globally, the future of the Shannon cluster looks positive, and IDA looks forward to supporting new activities and client companies in the months to come.
