State to continue to pump €11m a year into struggling airline

THE Government will continue to pump around €11m a year into Aer Arann even though the airline is loss making and battling to survive.

More than €33m of taxpayers’ money was given to the airline over the past three years despite it losing €18m during that period.

The airline, which has gone into interim examinership, was awarded contracts from the Department of Transport back in 2008 to provide Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes as part of the Government’s policy to support regional airports.