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The number of passengers at Dublin Airport for the Christmas season is expected to decline by 88% compared to the same period last year as Covid-19 continues to have a devastating impact on traffic levels at Irish airports. .
Dublin Airport has estimated that some 137,000 people will pass through the airport this Christmas compared to almost 1.2 million people last year.
Roughly 127,000 of those passengers travel to and from Ireland over the Christmas period, while some 10,000 people are connecting passengers passing through Dublin Airport.
From Monday, December 21 to Monday, January 4, an average of 8,615 passengers are expected to depart and arrive at the airport per day.
This compares with an average of 83,508 passengers per day during the Christmas season last year.
“Dublin Airport will be quieter this Christmas than it has been in decades,” said Dublin Airport spokeswoman Siobhán O’Donnell.
Traffic is generally split evenly between arrivals and departures over the Christmas period, but slightly more departing passengers are expected this year as departures are expected to account for 52% of traffic during the period.
The busiest day during the holiday season is expected to be December 27.
Dublin Airport also said the traffic situation this year is more unpredictable than a normal Christmas, so final passenger numbers may differ from anticipated traffic levels.
Siobhan O’Donnell also said that passengers are reminded to fully comply with Covid-19 guidelines during their journey through Dublin Airport.
“Masks must be worn when in airport buildings, social distancing protocols must be observed, and there are more than 1,000 hand sanitizers located throughout the airport campus,” he said.
In accordance with government guidelines and the guidelines of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), to help maintain social distancing, access to the terminals is limited to passengers, crew and airport personnel. .
Anyone planning to pick up passengers must make arrangements to meet them outside the terminals.
There are new meeting points outside Terminal 1 and on the glass walkway between the Terminal 2 car park and arrivals.
It is recommended that anyone picking up passengers at Dublin Airport plan and organize the pick-up in advance.
The airport also confirmed that for the first time in many years it will not be able to host its normal Christmas music program, due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Meanwhile, Cork Airport has said that it expects its passenger numbers to drop 89% this Christmas.
The airport said it expects only 13,000 people to pass through the airport at Christmas, half of them will be arrivals.
This compares to nearly 119,000 people who passed through the airport in 2019.
“Cork Airport will experience one of the quietest Christmases in decades this year with only 11% of normal passenger levels,” said Kevin Cullinane, Cork Airport Communications Director.
Mr Cullinane said the airport has only five routes operating this Christmas: London Heathrow with Aer Lingus; Amsterdam with KLM and London Stansted, Gdansk and Katowice with Ryanair. This compares with 32 routes last year.
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