Low-cost flights may be regulated in an effort to meet climate action targets, Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan has warned.
The decision to address cheap flights will be made at European level, he said, adding that he does not envisage people flying to sun holiday destinations for €10 in the future.
Speaking to RTÉ Radio's Today with Claire Byrne show, the Green Party leader said we would need to change the way we travel and the amount we travel if targets to tackle climate change are to be met.
Mr Ryan said the issue of low-cost air travel was raised at a meeting of the European Council last week, where potential regulations were considered.
Asked what prices could become the norm for such flights, Mr Ryan said the Council had not yet "got into the specifics" of the matter.
He said people will still be flying, adding: "We will have to develop solutions for that."
However, low-cost air travel is just one area which needs to be addressed if Ireland is to meet the goal of halving transport emissions and become a climate neutral economy by 2050, Mr Ryan said.
The Minister highlighted the move to electric and hybrid vehicles as another important step in the country's move towards renewable energy, while increased levels of remote working and the adoption of a '15-minute city' model for urban developments will help reduce traffic volumes.
The announcement today of the ESB's plan to establish a green energy hub at Moneypoint power station in Co Clare will be "one of many projects where we tap into the opportunity we have, the new economy, that will develop in our renewable energy resource," Mr Ryan said.
Asked whether he thought the climate action targets laid out by the Government, particularly the aim to have one million electric and hybrid vehicles on Irish roads by 2030, was still achievable, Mr Ryan said he did, adding: "People over-estimate what you can do in a year, but they under-estimate what you can do in a decade."
