Ryanair Will Cut up to 1,000 Ireland-UK Flights in August and September due to 14-Day Quarantine
- Joe Breitfeller
- Jul 14, 2020
- 3 min read
Ryanair announced on Tuesday that they will cut up to 1,000 Ireland-UK flights in August and September as the Republic of Ireland remains closed. The carrier expects to lose over 200,000 passengers in Cork, Shannon, Knock and Kerry due to the ongoing quarantine.
On Tuesday, Ryanair announced that they will have to cut up to 1,000 flights in the months of August and September as the Republic of Ireland remains closed to travelers as the UK, Northern Ireland and the Rest of Europe have removed travel restrictions. The carrier expects the loss of around 200,000 travelers who would otherwise have supported Ireland’s economic recovery via gateways at Cork, Shannon, Knock and Kerry. While Ireland only accounts for around eight percent of Ryanair’s traffic, the carrier provides vital connectivity for UK holidaymakers and commuting workers. In Tuesday’s announcement, a Ryanair spokesperson said,
“Last week when the UK and Northern Ireland removed travel restrictions on short haul flights to/from the European Union, Ireland became the only country in the EU with a blanket 14 day quarantine restriction on all arrivals from EU countries, most of which have lower Covid case rates than Ireland. It makes no sense, when Governments all over Europe have opened up EU flights since 1st June and removed travel restrictions on intra-EU travel, that the Irish Govt continues to treat countries like Germany, Denmark and Greece as if they were suffering similar levels of Covid as the USA, Brazil and India. Irish citizens are being advised by their Govt that they should not travel to and from EU countries (almost all of whom have lower Covid case rates than Ireland), yet citizens of Northern Ireland can travel freely to and from the EU – via Dublin Airport – without any quarantine restrictions whatsoever.
“Air travel between Ireland and the UK is being badly damaged by this ineffective 14 day quarantine. Ryanair will significantly reduce its flights between Ireland and the UK in Aug & Sept, to reflect this suppressed demand. This means 100,000 fewer visitors from the UK travelling to regional airports in Cork, Shannon, Knock and Kerry during the peak months of the tourism season. This unique policy by Ireland, insisting on blanket quarantines with our European neighbors (most of whom have lower Covid case rates than Ireland) is damaging the recovery of Ireland’s economy and our tourism industry, causing long-term damage to jobs in Ireland’s largest employment sector, with business travellers in particular being told that Ireland is closed for business.
“We call on the Irish Govt to remove all travel restrictions between Ireland and the EU (almost all of whom have lower Covid case rates than Ireland) as a matter of urgency, so that Ireland’s hotels, guest houses, restaurants and other tourism providers can recover their business and minimize job losses before we reach the downturn winter period. If Micheál Martin does not quarantine for 14 days after visiting Brussels this week, then why should any other Irish or EU citizen be treated differently.”
Ryanair Holdings, plc is Europe’s largest airline conglomerate and the parent company of Buzz, Lauda, Malta Air, and Ryanair DAC. The airline usually carries over 154 million passengers annually with over 2,500 daily departures. Ryanair typically serves over 200 destinations in 40 countries with a fleet of 460 Boeing 737 Family aircraft and 20 Airbus A320s. Currently, the low-cost carrier has an additional 321 Boeing 737s on order and the Ryanair Group expects annual traffic to reach 200 million customers by FY 2024. Ryanair has maintained a stellar safety record for over 34 years and prides itself on being “Europe’s greenest cleanest airline group,” promising customers a reduction in CO2 emissions of up to 50%, versus the “Big 4 EU major airlines.”
Source: Ryanair
