News

Airport Busy on 'Freedom Day'

Some 22,500 passengers arrived at and departed Dublin Airport yesterday as international travel restrictions eased.

This was 87% less than pre-Covid levels during the same period in 2019. In 2019, 116,000 people passed through Dublin Airport per day in peak season.

For the past two weeks, the daily average for arriving and departing passenger numbers had been 14,000.

Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson said the EU digital travel cert was working well and will gradually become part of the travel experience, like presenting a passport.

The lion’s share of passengers were vaccinated, he said, and he predicted that travel would shortly return to “some level of normality”. Bookings were very strong, he added, as travel was returning to normal throughout Europe and in the US.

Confidence rise among restaurant-goers

Consumers now feel safer going to restaurants, hotels and attending in-person events, according to a new survey from Deloitte. outdoor

The company's monthly 'Consumer Tracker' survey tracks Irish consumers' attitudes towards personal wellbeing, financial concerns, travel and hospitality, transport and retail.

The most recent data was gathered between 24 and 30 June.

It shows that consumers' financial concerns remain stable, with no change in the number of those concerned about making upcoming payments.

There was a 2% decrease in those concerned about losing their job.

The data shows that consumers continue to feel safer across the board, with notable increases in those feeling safe engaging in person-to-person services (up 3%); attending in-person events (up 5%); going to a restaurant (up 8%); and staying in a hotel (up 8%).

Door Checks for Diners

Publicans will be obliged to check indoor dining passes at the door of their premises, rather than at the bar counters.

Representatives of the pub trade made the case to check the certificates at the bar rather than the door during a series of meetings with Government officials.

However, it has been decided that pubs, restaurants and cafes will have to check the passes at their doors to see if customers have been fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 in the last six months.

Pub and restaurnt operators are expecting an app to be introduced to allow them to check the validity of EU Digital Covid Certificates which can be used for indoor dining.Hospitality groups have yet to receive clarity about how the app will work but it is thought it will be based on a model used in Luxembourg.

It is also expected that customers will have to show personal ID along with their Covid-19 certificate to prove it is their own document.

€23m support for Irish airports

The Government has said it will provide over €23 million in funding to Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Knock, Kerry and Donegal airports. shannonapt

As part of an €80m package of supports that was announced for Irish aviation last November, the Government gave a commitment to securing EU approval for a €26 million scheme to help compensate airports for the damage caused by Covid.

Of this amount, €20 million is being provided to State airports – Dublin, Cork and Shannon.

The remaining €6 million is being provided, in two phases, to the airports of Knock, Kerry and Donegal.

Case rise will not delay re-opening

Plans for the reopening of indoor hospitality are expected to go ahead despite the emerging surge in Covid-19 cases among young people. restaurant

There is growing concern at the rapid rise in infections which has seen daily case numbers rise to levels not seen since February. However it is expected this should not affect the advice that it is safe for vaccinated people to go indoors for drinking and dining.

Data circulated to senior officials and Ministers has demonstrated the extent to which the surge in cases has been driven by younger people, with infections “rising very rapidly in young adults”, according to a summary of the research.

But senior sources say their expectation is that this should not lead to increases in hospital admissions at a scale that would lead to significant pressure on the system.