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Easyjet grounds fleet

EasyJet has grounded its entire fleet of aircraft due to the coronavirus pandemic, the airline has announced.

The Luton-based carrier said the measure “removes significant cost” as the aviation industry struggles to cope with a collapse in demand caused by the outbreak of the virus.

It insisted it “maintains a strong balance sheet” and revealed it is in “ongoing discussions with liquidity providers”.

The airline also announced it has reached an agreement with union Unite on furlough arrangements for its cabin crew.

The deal will be effective from Wednesday for a two-month period and means cabin crew will be paid 80% of their average pay through the Government job retention scheme.

Cruises further delayed

P&O Cruises and Cunard have extended the suspension of sailings by a month.

The cruise lines were previously due to resume operations on April 11, but they have been cancelled up to and including May 15.

Customers with a holiday booked up to and including that date will automatically receive credit for a future sailing worth 125% of the cost of their original trip.

The firms are both part of the Carnival group.

Isolation Centre for City West Hotel

An isolation facility for those who have contracted Covid-19 will open imminently in City West, according to the HSE. citywest0218

The Citywest Hotel has been transformed so people who have tested positive for coronavirus but don't need to be hospitalised can isolate.

The hotel and conference centre has become the first of a series of new coronavirus centres for isolation and stepdown care in Ireland.

The hotel part of the Citywest complex will provide beds for 750 people who are unable to self-isolate due to the nature of their own living arrangements. It will open at the end of the week.

The Citywest conference centre is being turned into a stepdown care facility for Covid-19 patients who are recovering from the infection.

The 450 beds earmarked for the facility will only be used once capacity in hospital settings has been exceeded.

It will start operating, if needed, in two or three weeks’ time.

Visitor numbers up in February

New data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has revealed that the number of overseas visitors to the Republic of Ireland rose 4.1% in February despite the COVID-19

crisis.

A total of 615,200 overseas visitors arrived in the Republic last month, compared to 590,700 in February of 2019.

Visitor numbers from the UK increased 9.3% to 282,100 last month, while the number of people who visited the Republic from mainland Europe countries increased 4.3% to 217,800. However, the number of people who arrived in the Republic from North America decreased 6.3% to 81,300.

Tourists banned from Aran

No tourists are permitted to travel between the Aran islands and Galway during current Covid-19 restrictive measures, Island Ferries has said. aran

The private company has also said one vessel will serve all three islands daily for “essential/emergency services only" under a revised timetable.

“Emergency/ essential workers and those providing essential services such as doctors, Gardaí and others require transport to and from the islands,”Island Ferries has said in a statement.