Dublin 9th December: Aer Lingus has welcomed the publication this morning of a report by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications Networks entitled ‘Issues affecting the aviation industry’.

Interim CEO, Donal Moriarty, Aer Lingus said:

“We strongly support the report’s call for Government to develop a clear strategy to safely increase levels of international travel in 2021 by encouraging consumer confidence with respect to air travel within the European Union based on the EU traffic light rules-based system, and to third countries where bilateral arrangements are in place.

“Increasing levels of air travel between Ireland and the USA is critical to our business and to the wider Irish economy in 2021. We support the report’s recommendation that Government formally engage bilaterally with the US and Canada with a view to lifting the entry ban on Irish citizens and establish an agreed testing protocol to avoid the need for restriction of movement or quarantine from those counties.

“We welcome the report’s calls that Government should proactively engage with other EU Member States on their experience of rapid testing methods and accelerate the validation studies in respect of rapid antigen testing and its potential use for inbound or outbound travellers at Ireland’s airports.

“The cost, speed and increasing efficacy of antigen testing means that our Government needs to follow the lead of other European countries like Italy and Germany and accept this form of testing. In late November, a number of independent studies confirmed that antigen tests produced by Abbott and Roche meet the World Health Organisation’s criteria.

“Last week, the European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control (ECDC) stated that air travel should not be considered high risk for spreading Covid19 and that air travellers account for less than 1% of all detected Covid19 cases and do not increase the rate of transmission. These statistics are mirrored by those of Ireland’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre within the HSE which also found that the number of imported cases account for less than 1%.

“Based on the latest scientific evidence and information, the ECDC’s conclusions reflect the fact that the prevalence of Covid19 among travellers is lower than in the general population. In addition, the measures in place in aviation minimise the possibility of transmission during air travel.

“Ireland has the greatest dependence on air travel as a means to support its economy and employment compared to any other country in the EU. As an island nation that is weeks away from Brexit, we are strongly of the view that our Government needs to start championing it.”

ENDS/