Sinn Fein Transport spokesperson Dessie Ellis TD has today supported the call by pilot body IALPA for a review of the effectiveness of the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA). He made his comments in the wake of a UK Channel 4 documentary special which uncovered questionable fuel practice by some airline carriers.

Ellis said;

“The IAA is an independent body which collects fees from the airline industry in order to provide a regulatory service for the industry.

“Air travel is essential to our island and the industry’s safety standards and practices are of the utmost importance. This is the job of the IAA and a review into how effective is doing this job is reasonable and fair.

“I trust pilots to recognise when there are genuine concerns and was disturbed by the potentially dangerous practices uncovered in the Channel 4 film.

“I have raised safety issues in relation to pilots working hours and conditions before and treat air safety very seriously. In ‘Secrets from the Cockpit’ anonymous pilots raised concerns over the fuel policies of a major carrier operating in Ireland. They believe these practices put passengers at risk.

“A survey of pilots at this carrier shows an overwhelming majority have concerns about work practices and safety but feel unable speak up.”

Sinn Féin transport spokesperson, Dessie Ellis TD, today condemned the call by the toll operator on the M6 motorway, M6 Concession, for a new toll charge for entering and exiting the motorway. This is to make up for their losses due to decreased traffic on the road. Deputy Ellis called on the government to end the subsidy of toll operators.

Deputy Ellis said:

“The state is already subsidising companies to the tune of 15 million because of a drop in traffic numbers.

“The ordinary motorist is struggling just to keep their car on the road with hikes in tax and fuel prices. They cannot bear further costs which they have no real responsibility for.

“The toll operators took on this investment. They took a risk like every other business. Their venture is not as profitable as they had hoped, but the Irish people, either individually as motorists or through the state, are not responsible for these losses, and should not be punished for them.

“No new toll should be incurred on the M6 and the state should do all in its power to end the subsidy of toll operators and the covering of private loss by the public purse.

“This further underlines the very bad value for money of Public Private Partnership deals and should be a lesson to this and future governments.”