[ad_1]
Ryanair’s Cork and Shannon hubs may never reopen, as the airline announced that none of its flights will operate from Munster airports for the next month.
Eddie Wilson, CEO of Ryanair’s Designated Activity Company, said there is “a reasonable probability” that the airline will not reopen the two Munster aviation hubs.
At the Oireachtas Transportation Committee, Mr. Wilson called on Transportation Minister Eamon Ryan to “immediately” implement a traffic light travel system for air travel from Ireland to nullify the effects of a “wasted summer”.
He said he does not know whether the traffic light system to be rolled out across the EU from 8 November will be enough to stem the negative tide in terms of Ireland’s aviation industry.
“We do not know what is in the system, we do not know if it is regionalized,” he said.
Such a system would see it possible to fly to certain regions of a country but not to others, depending on the spread of the virus in those areas.
Wilson said there will be no Ryanair flights from Cork or Shannon “at least” between November 14 and December 12.
“The question now is whether or not they will reopen,” he said of the two airports, adding that the current crisis “could have been avoided.”
“Imagine that,” de Cork said. “The second city in Ireland without Ryanair flights from it.
“We are separating from Europe and I don’t think people realize that fact. We can put our plane somewhere else. “
Responding to news of the cancellation of Ryanair services, Cork Airport Chief Executive Niall MacCarthy said this is “a further blow to the Irish aviation industry and to Cork and the South of Ireland in particular”.
Mr. MacCarthy said the need for a “low-cost, pre-departure” test system is now “more than urgent” to restore confidence in the industry.
A spokesman for the Department of Transport described the decision as “commercial”, adding that “it is not entirely unexpected” as the airline’s bookings in Ireland have collapsed.
“There is no doubt that the challenges faced by airlines and the aviation industry as a whole are immense,” they said, adding that the state is committed to reactivating the sector “when appropriate.”
The spokesperson did not mention any possible introduction of a fast-track testing system. “With Ireland currently at Level 5 of the Living with Covid Plan, it has been made clear that there should be no non-essential travel of any kind in or out of Ireland,” they said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Wilson criticized the Government’s response to the crisis in the aviation sector, expressing his dismay that he had not heard from Mr. Ryan and has received no indication as to why the recommendations of the State aviation, dating from July, have not been met. been implemented.
“The Green List has been a total and utter disaster,” he said.
“The Minister has all the answers. When have Ryanair, Aer Lingus and DAA ever agreed on anything before? You can fly today, you just need the will of this Government to do something.
“I’ve made it clear: don’t demonize air travel. We have had a lost summer, which means that people are not willing to travel because the government is telling them not to, “he said, adding that airlines” need to see the data “behind the recommendations of the National Travel Team. Public Health Emergencies (NPHET).
Mr. Wilson appeared on the committee alongside Aer Lingus Acting Executive Director Donal Moriarty, who stated in his opening statement that the chances of contracting Covid-19 through air travel are “as low as one in 27 million ”.
That claim was dismissed as “not credible” by Sinn Féin spokesperson on transportation, Darren O’Rourke.
He did not call for an immediate move on easing flight restrictions, but said the coming traffic light system “needs to evolve quickly.”
The key to future travel will be the implementation of pre-departure testing, he said, while strongly advocating the use of “a rapid antigen test,” which he said is the only way to “facilitate a significant increase in international travel. insurance ”.
Antigen testing, which has a turnaround time of about 30 minutes, has been implemented in Italy for traveler arrivals from areas at high risk for the virus. Airports in Germany, Great Britain and France have also recently announced plans to introduce such tests, Moriarty said.
The committee heard that a change in Aer Lingus’ approach to Shannon is not likely before next February, as much of the airline’s fleet is stored in Spain.
[ad_2]