Robert Troy
Ceist:1067. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps he has taken since assuming office to promote connectivity between Dublin Airport and east bound air traffic. [34133/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 13 July 2017
Ceisteanna (1067)
Freagraí scríofa
The Government has taken various actions to support the introduction of a direct air service between Ireland and China in recent years. On the 26th of September 2016, I met with the Administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration of China and signed a new Memorandum of Understanding between our two countries to further assist with the facilitation of future services. The Department, the Irish Embassy in Beijing and various agencies (daa/Tourism Ireland) have all been working to achieve this goal. However, any decision to operate services between Ireland and China will ultimately be a commercial decision for airlines. In the broader context of furthering connectivity with the "east", the European Commission is in the process of negotiating a comprehensive air services agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which encompasses ten South East Asian countries: Brunei, Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Officials from my Department will be engaged in these negotiations via the Aviation Working Group of the European Council. While my Department endeavours to facilitate services and enhance connectivity by means of providing the appropriate bilateral/multilateral frameworks under which air operations would be conducted, any decision to operate services between Ireland and Asia would be a commercial one for the airlines themselves. The Deputy will be aware that Qatar Airways recently commenced a new daily service between Dublin and Doha. Alongside the existing services operated by Etihad and Emirates to Abu Dhabi and Dubai and by Turkish Airlines to Istanbul this adds to the connectivity options through these relatively new but increasingly important aviation hubs.