The Irish Government has confirmed that Aer Lingus would only have access to the existing state support and financing.
“Liquidity support was made available to Aer Lingus through the ISIF [Ireland Strategic Investment Fund] Pandemic Stabilisation and Recovery Fund, with €150m provided in debt funding,” said Hildegarde Naughton, the Irish Minister of State in a written reply to the Dáil last week. “This investment is designed to complement ongoing investment by Aer Lingus’s parent company… IAG, in the airline.”
“It remains open to the airline to engage directly with the relevant agencies concerned with a view to drawing down additional support, with the amount of any such support sought being a commercial matter,” Naughton said.
She had been asked by Co Clare TD Joe Carey if any future State-backed financial support for Aer Lingus would be contingent on the carrier maintaining services from Shannon to New York, Boston and London Heathrow. Aer Lingus hasn’t operated any flights out of Shannon since last year.