"Saving all jobs and saving all routes may not be possible."
Leo Varadkar has said that the Government will not allow Aer Lingus to fail, though some jobs will be lost.
Speaking in the Dáil on Thursday, An Tánaiste said that the Government is engaged in "confidential talks" with Aer Lingus about providing further financial supports for the airline.
He said that the Government "won't allow" Aer Lingus to fail, but that saving all jobs within the airline may not be possible.
He said: "We will provide more to enable us to retain essential connectivity like for example Heathrow, like for example the US and those key hubs in Europe and also for cargo.
"But the sad truth now is that it could be a very long time before we see aviation recover. I know some people are saying we may have passed peak aviation. I'm not saying that but some people are saying that.
"So saving all jobs and saving all routes may not be possible but we do want to protect the company and ensure that it is there for essential connectivity in to the future."
This came on the same day that Varadkar has said that "domestic tourism" will take place this summer.
He said that he "believes and hopes" that people across Ireland will be able to travel between counties freely during the summer.
