Airports to get €108m in State aid for Covid losses

Airports will get €108 million in State aid to boost their recovery from the impact of Government Covid-19 curbs. EU competition regulators this month gave the go-ahead to provide €90 million to airports to spend on luring airlines back to re-open old routes and launch new ones.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport Hildegarde Naughton confirmed on Tuesday that the State would provide €108 million to airports, much of it for next year.

The Government is earmarking the funding for various programmes, with the biggest being the €90 million Covid-19 supplementary supports scheme green-lighted by the European Commission.

Pre-Covid passenger numbers will determine each airport's share and so Dublin will receive €79.6 million of the total budget; Cork will get €13.7 million; Shannon, €10.1 million; Kerry, €2.2 million and Donegal, €600,000.

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Ms Naughton explained that the cash would allow airports offer discounts to airlines to restore routes, particularly those to North America.

While Dublin is only benefitting from the supplementary supports scheme, the totals allocated to all the others include their shares of programmes to support regional airports.

Ms Naughton said she “fully recognised” the devastating impact of Covid restrictions on regional airports. She noted that the funding would help compensate them for the damage caused during the pandemic.

“I am pleased to say that our smaller regional airports of Donegal, Knock and Kerry are being fully compensated for the damage caused by Covid to the maximum amounts allowable under this scheme,” she added.