Fórsa has said the Government must “wake up” to the ongoing crisis in Irish aviation following the announcement by Stobart Air last Saturday that it has ceased operations and is going into liquidation.

Fórsa represents 120 cabin crew at the airline, along with pilots, and said staff based in Dublin, Cork and Belfast were devastated at hearing the news.

Fórsa national secretary Ashley Connolly said Stobart had been working with the union to try to navigate a path through the pandemic. For over a year, unions have been seeking a bespoke package of industry supports – including income supports – to ensure that Ireland has a post-Covid aviation sector.

“The Stobart collapse means services to Kerry and Donegal are now in the balance, just a month after Aer Lingus announced the closure of its Shannon base.

“Loyal and long-service Stobart staff, who have been through 16 months of financial hardship and uncertainty, are devastated. The industry has effectively lost a second summer to the pandemic, with no early recovery on the horizon. What will it take for the Government to wake up and act?

“The Government needs to decide if the crisis in this vital industry is to be permanent or temporary. Only the State has the power and resources to preserve Ireland’s vital international connectivity – the connectivity that supports thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of jobs – over the coming months, and possibly years,” she said.

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said the Stobart announcement was “the inevitable consequence of government delay and the failure to heed our warnings of the need for specific aviation supports.”

Ashley Connolly took part in a live interview with RTE SixOne news on Monday (14th June) about the need for an integrated plan and social dialogue to ensure the industry's survival. You can watch Ashley’s interview HERE (from 30 minutes).