AER LINGUS SFO TO DUBLIN FREE

The chief executive of Tourism Ireland said one of the most important aspects of the recovery of the tourism sector is connectivity, and established rural connectivity is one of the hardest parts of the game.

AER LINGUS SFO TO DUBLIN FREE

'If you take Donegal or Kerry for example, if you have to get to Dublin airport the train is expensive unless you have a free card - it could be €65 - €70,' he said. However, he said the regional services are 'vital' for the communities near to regional airports. Speaking on Drivetime, Mr Dawson said 'the regional airports are always the first to suffer'. Pat Dawson CEO of the Irish Travel Agents Association has said he was 'not surprised' by the weekend closure of Stobart Air. ITAA 'not surprised' by closure of Stobart Air Pat Dawson CEO of the Irish Travel Agents Association He said that certainty on re-opening is needed and that he will be pushing this week to introduce more rapid antigen testing at airports and elsewhere. He defended the Government record on aviation spending, saying it has given €300m in supports for aviation since the start of the pandemic, including a €3.5m annual subsidy for Kerry airport which has helped to keep it viable.

He said there is an 'inevitability' in relation to job losses in the economy as a result of the pandemic. He said there is an indication that Emerald Airline may move into the market by autumn and that interest from other airlines is 'good news for Irish aviation'. He said that the decision of Stobart air to cease trading is a major blow to the Kerry airport, but that there is a solution to be put in place. Mr Griffin said the provision to replace the government-funded PSO routes which operate between Kerry, Dublin and Donegal for a seven-month period offers hope that a new carrier will come onboard. The Department of Transport said it is actively considering all options, taking legal advice and working to ensure a replacement service is in place on the routes as quickly as possible.įine Gael TD for Kerry Brendan Griffin, meanwhile, said that the Government's decision to introduce a rapid procurement process to replace the Stobart airline routes out of Kerry and Donegal airports offers some hope that regional connectivity will be retained. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. We need your consent to load this rte-player content We use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. One of the challenges it has is that Aer Lingus' existing fleet of aircraft are too large for the runway at Carrickfinn. In terms of the Dublin-Kerry route, it is understood that Aer Lingus has joined three or four other carriers who have also signalled an interest in operating the route, including Estonia's airline Nordica.Īer Lingus also said it is exploring options around the possibility of being able to run the PSO route between Dublin and Donegal. Three more routes had been operated by Stobart Air for Aer Lingus, but the future of those remains uncertain. The airline said it is continuing to work on alternative options for future flights. 'The provision of this replacement schedule has ensured that all impacted customers due to travel in the next week have been offered alternative travel arrangements,' Aer Lingus said in a statement. The routes Aer Lingus has said it will continue to operate until 19 July are Dublin / Edinburgh, Dublin / Manchester, Belfast City / Manchester, Belfast City / Birmingham and Belfast City / Edinburgh.īA City Flyer is to continue operating two more routes until the end of this week, but it is unclear what will happen to them after that. Stobart Air had run the Aer Lingus Regional franchise and was due to continue doing so until the end of next year.Īer Lingus said its teams have been working to provide alternative services following the announcement. It has also said it is ready to operate the Public Service Obligation air route between Dublin and Kerry, subject to an appropriate agreement being put in place with the State.Īt the weekend Stobart Air's board said it was putting the company into liquidation. Aer Lingus has said it will continue to operate itself five of the regional routes that were previously run on its behalf by Stobart Air until 19 July.

Aer lingus sfo to dublin