Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 November 2020
223. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Transport the amount of additional funding Dublin Airport has received to date in 2020, further to funding announced for airports in November 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36493/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI would like to thank the Deputy for his question in relation to funding for Dublin Airport.
As you may be aware, given the devastating impacts of Covid-19 on the aviation industry, in recent days the Government has agreed a revised €80 million funding package for Irish aviation for 2021. This package includes an extra €48 million in supports for 2021 which is additional to the funding for airports announced in Budget 2021. Provision of this additional and significant Exchequer funding will further assist all our Airports -including Dublin airport, in meeting the challenges presented by Covid-19.
This funding includes provision for an Airport Charges Rebate Scheme for January to March 2021, subject to State Aid approval from the EU Commission. This is one of the recommendations made by the Task Force for Aviation Recovery and, at an estimated cost of €20m, will support the retention of core connectivity through the Winter season. The €20 million allocated to the Airports Charges Rebate Scheme will have a positive impact on all airports in the country, including Dublin Airport.
These recent announcements are of course additional to the suite of measures introduced by Government early in the crisis, to assist our citizens and businesses in facing the challenges of Covid-19. Airlines and Airports, including Dublin Airport, have been able to avail of some of those measures, in particular wage subsidy supports, rates waivers and deferred taxes.
It is estimated that Irish airports, including Dublin airport, and airlines will have received over €100 million in Exchequer supports through these measures in 2020.
