Government Action To Implement Recommendations Of Its Own Aviation Task Force

Calls Again For Immediate Inclusion Of The Uk And Germany (With Lower Covid Rates) To Ireland’s Green List 

Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, today (Fri 4^th Sept) called on Minister Eamon Ryan, and the Irish Government, to explain why none of the 14 recommendations of the Government’s own Aviation Task Force have been implemented, despite sitting on the Ministers desk for 2 months since 7^th July last. Unless there is immediate action from Minister Ryan, then over 140,000 jobs in Irish aviation and over 325,000 jobs in Irish tourism, face a bleak winter with the threat of many thousands of job losses.

The Irish Govt commissioned an Aviation Task Force to make recommendations for a Covid-19 recovery plan. 14 recommendations were submitted in a Final Report – 2 months ago on 7^th July last. Minister Ryan has promised action, but 2 months later on 4^th Sept, nothing has happened, and this action plan is gathering dust.

The Irish Government’s failure to implement these 14 recommendations has now led to further cuts in capacity and connectivity to/from Ireland this winter. Ryanair has cut Sept & Oct capacity by another 20% and Aer Lingus has cut its Trans-Atlantic capacity with threats to bases in Cork and Shannon. While Minister Ryan fiddles, Irish aviation burns.

With an unemployment rate of 17%, the Irish Govt should now add larger European economies like Germany, the UK, Denmark and Poland to Ireland’s Green List. Each of these countries have significantly lower Covid case rates than Ireland, yet Irish citizens cannot travel to do business in these countries without a 14 day quarantine. It is inexcusable that connectivity from Ireland to our largest EU trading partners in the UK and Germany, has been cut off by Govt and NPHET’s mismanagement of Ireland’s Green List, with a useless, defective, and non-scientific 14 day quarantine still keeping Ireland “closed for business”.

A Ryanair spokesperson said:

“We call for urgent action from Minister Eamon Ryan. When will the 14 recommendations of the Government’s own Aviation Task Force be implemented? How much more dust needs to gather before he implements these urgent recommendations?

We also call for the immediate addition of the UK, Germany, Poland and Denmark to Ireland’s Green List, given that these countries have much lower Covid rates than Ireland. NPHET and the Irish Govt have  mismanaged Ireland’s recovery by keeping our island economy uniquely closed for business despite the fact that the UK, Germany, Poland and many other EU states permitted the safe return of intra-EU air travel since 1^st July last, and they have managed much lower Covid case rates than Ireland despite NPHET’s defective and non-scientific 14 day quarantine, which has failed to prevent a recent surge in Ireland’s Covid case rates.

Now that the schools have re-opened, it’s time for Irish businesses to return to work, but our economy cannot recover unless our people are free to travel to, and do business in the UK, Germany, Poland and other key EU trading partners, who have lower Covid rates than Ireland.  If Micheál Martin can travel to Brussels and return without quarantine, why can’t other essential business travel take place from 1 Sept to these EU countries, without NPHET’s failed defective mismanaged quarantine?

Irish aviation and Irish tourism urgently calls on Minister Ryan to implement the 14 recommendations of the Aviation task Force and immediately update Ireland’s Green List to get our economy back working again after months of NPHET mismanagement of Ireland’s Green List.”