Aer Lingus has confirmed that it is in dialogue with the Government on the issue of charges for emergency war and risk insurance cover. It follows a statement from the European Commission that airlines must pay for the insurance cover scheme, which has been running since the September 11th hijacked plane attacks in the US.

The Commission issued its statement after German Chancellor Mr Gerhard Schr÷der said on Monday that its national airline Lufthansa would not have to pay premiums for the government-backed aviation insurance scheme.