AER LINGUS WILL ask the government to adopt antigen testing for air passengers as part of a range of measures to encourage more people to fly over the coming months.
The airlines two most senior executives will tell an Oireachtas committee today that Ireland is an outlier for not using antigen testing as a risk mitigation tool for passengers, and that it is widely accepted as a pre-departure testing standard across the EU, the US and the UK.
The company will also say that the governments easing of travel restrictions on 28 May was too little, too late because of the impact the lack of antigen testing, restrictions for unvaccinated UK arrivals, and restrictions for travellers arriving from the US are having on passenger numbers.
Aer Lingus will continue to burn a significant amount of cash over the summer, as flying schedules will be a fraction of what they would normally be, the executives will tell the Oireachtas committee.
There will not be a significant level of travel by air in and out of Ireland over the crucial summer months, and the airline will need to be more cost-efficient in order to rebuild, the company says in its opening statement.
Airline executives will tell TDs and Senators that the narrative from the government that people should not book flights has had a profound impact on bookings, and in turn, on Irelands international connectivity.
We need to send the message internationally that Ireland is open for business for those that are vaccinated or appropriately tested or recovered, and we need to do it urgently, the opening statement says.
Last month, Aer Lingus said it had lost 103 million in the first three months of 2021, on top of a loss of 361 million last year.
Aer Lingus CEO Lynne Embleton, and the airlines Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Donal Moriarty will appear before the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications this morning.
Moriarty was originally due to appear before the committee on 2 June, but members asked for Embleton to be present too, and postponed the meeting until she agreed to appear before it.
The committee chairperson TD Kieran ODonnell said committee members will question how Aer Lingus is addressing the challenge arising from the closure of Stobart Air and its implications for regional connectivity to Britain.
The EU Digital Covid Certificate and the role of rapid antigen testing in aviation travel will also be discussed at the meeting.
The airline announced at the end of last month that it would permanently close its cabin crew base in Shannon and temporarily close its Cork cabin crew base.
Aer Lingus will tell the committee that the decision to close Shannon is permanent. We did not take the decision lightly and a reversal will not be possible, the company will say in its opening statement to the committee.
81 cabin crew in Shannon were to be offered enhanced severance terms or a base transfer to Dublin, if possible. Around 45 ground staff were to be laid off.
The Cork base will be closed from September until late November this year. Around 60 ground staff and 138 cabin crew will be temporarily laid off during this time.
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It was announced earlier this month that Stobart Air ceased trading and terminated its franchise with Aer Lingus.
This resulted in the cancellation of all Aer Lingus regional flights operated by Stobart.
Aer Lingus said Stobart Air had cited the continuing impact of the pandemic which has resulted in almost no flying since March 2020.
The airline announced a partial restoration of flights impacted by the collapse of Stobart Air later that day.
The Oireachtas committee will meet at 9.30am this morning.
Additional reporting by Christine Bohan
