Eoin English: Government must buckle up to stop Irish aviation industry nose-diving

Aer Lingus' decision about its bases at Cork Airport and Shannon has made it imperative for the Government to lay out a coherent national plan to restart our aviation industry.

Cork Airport has sought to diversify its business in the face of the pandemic, which has seen it reduced to handling as many aircraft movements in a week as it would have done by 11am on any weekday pre-pandemic.

Aviation has been in crisis for over a year. We’ve seen the passenger figures plummet to 1960s levels and heard the repeated warnings from industry figures, and pleas for the Transport Minister to act.

But political responsibility for dealing with the crisis has now landed firmly at the doorstep of the Taoiseach after Aer Lingus’s decision this week to temporarily close its base at Cork Airport, located in the heart of his own constituency.

The airline’s decision to temporarily lay off, without pay, 198 of its staff - 60 ground staff and 138 cabin crew - at its Cork base has been timed to coincide with the airport’s runway upgrade work, between September and November. That, combined with its decision to announce the closure of its Shannon base, resulting in up to 81 redundancies, has sparked very real concern, and marks a significant deterioration in the aviation sector.

It’s hard to criticise this airline, and Ryanair, for what are ultimately business decisions. Aer Lingus is losing just over €1m a day since the start of the year. 

But what’s most concerning is that there seems to be no urgency on the part of the Government to lay out a coherent national plan to restart our aviation industry.

Fears are mounting that unless the Government deals with the issue soon, there will be little left of the industry to salvage.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for the 140,000 jobs supported by the aviation industry here, for the tourism industry, and for Ireland Inc.

And in a week when you can book a shopping trip to Penneys or a visit to Fota Wildlife Park, the idea that the Cabinet didn’t have the time to discuss the aviation crisis at Tuesday’s meeting has angered aviation workers.

The Recover Irish Aviation group, which has been providing a voice for aviation workers here during the pandemic, said the 230 families affected by the Aer Lingus decision this week are now paying the price of that government inaction.

“We are asking Micheál Martin to do us the courtesy of extending today’s cabinet meeting to consider this issue and secure what is left of Ireland’s aviation sector,” spokesman Captain Simon Croghan said.

I’ve been to plenty of cabinet meetings that were adjourned and reconvened as agenda long. The message this action is sending out is very disappointing and confusing to say the least. https://t.co/1MW9VRi6dd

— Regina Doherty MEP (@ReginaDo) May 18, 2021

What’s even more frustrating is that the aviation industry has worked with government and other stakeholders on a restart plan, he said.

The detailed document which charts a safe way out of the pandemic was presented to government on March 5 but there has been no sign of action or urgency from government on the issue.

Captain Croghan said the crisis in aviation has only worsened since.

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“For months we have been highlighting the urgent need for concerted action to secure thousands of jobs in aviation along with vital air connectivity for our economy and our regional airports,” he said.

“The aviation restart plan was published five weeks ago and has yet to be actioned.

We are requesting the immediate adoption by the government of Ireland's Aviation Restart Plan.

Without it the future looks bleak for the aviation sector, the jobs it supports and Ireland's connectivity.https://t.co/WFOF5oMgCO

— Recover Irish Aviation (@RecovAIRie) April 19, 2021

“Irish airlines are moving aircraft out of the Republic of Ireland to Belfast and Manchester and are now closing bases and laying off staff in Cork and Shannon.

“We are shocked and dismayed that the Cabinet considers such a crucial issue of national importance not worthy of their time.” 

The airlines have effectively written off the second summer in a row. They are hopeful that they will be back in the air in time for Christmas. But there are no guarantees.

Last year, the Aviation Recovery Taskforce established by the Minister for Transport noted that Ireland is a global leader in aviation, not just with the two highly regarded international carriers anchoring the national industry, but also pointing to the fact that Ireland controls over 60% of the entire global leasing market for aircraft, and has a significant international position in maintenance, repair and overhaul.

Shannon Airport where Aer Lingus announced the closure of its base, resulting in up to 81 redundancies.

Airports are strategic enablers of this business growth and of balanced regional economic development.

Cork Airport took a lead on this during the pandemic as it sought to diversify its business in the face of the pandemic, which has seen it reduced to handling as many aircraft movements in a week as it would have done by 11am on any weekday pre-pandemic.

In recent weeks, it has announced deals with DHL cargo and with a green energy company which has based a specialist aircraft at Cork to conduct aerial surveys as part of the planning process for off-shore windfarms.

But that new thinking is just part of the recovery. Cork, and the other airports, need a clear restart plan.

The industry has helped draft one. It’s time for the government to buckle up and allow the industry to take-off again, or risk seeing it nosedive.