Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 September 2020
36. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Transport if he will report on the formulation of a new national aviation policy; if there will be a public and or stakeholder consultation as part of this much needed review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25914/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland’s current National Aviation Policy was published in 2015.
Clearly however much has changed since 2015 in terms of the overall challenges for the aviation sector in Ireland with a renewed focus on environmental performance, Brexit and most recently of course the Covid-crisis.
Before the covid outbreak, officials at the Department of Transport had commenced scoping work on a revised version of the full National Aviation Policy. The covid crisis has changed the picture fundamentally however. There is still a huge amount of uncertainty on how long the pandemic will last and when aviation might be able to make a meaningful recovery- most industry analysts do not expect a return to pre-covid traffic level until 2023/4.
In this context, it seems more appropriate to take a shorter term view - to examine how the aviation sector and regional connectivity can be supported while travel remains restricted and how we can assist the sector to recover once restrictions are eased. This is the approach which was advocated by the Aviation Recovery Task Force. The recommendations of the Task Force are being examined by Government and relevant Departments who consult regularly with sectoral stakeholders via standing bodies such as the National Civil Aviation Development Forum, as well as via informal channels. This examination of the Task Force recommendations includes work on further targeted financial supports to help reinstate connectivity. Work is underway to develop these recommendations into effective interventions and this will feed in to Government’s further plans to aid broader economic recovery, including in the aviation sector, when conditions allow.
