'Whoops of joy' as passengers get 'green light' on flights to Ireland ahead of midnight ban
Anxious crowds of passengers wait for news in Heathrow airport after the government's announcement. Picture: Rachael Scully
“Whoops of joy” could be heard at Heathrow Airport, after hundreds of passengers travelling to Ireland were given the “green light” to fly to Dublin ahead of the 48-hour travel ban comes into effect at midnight.
Ms Scully, 23, from Dublin described it as a “Christmas miracle” after her, and about 300 other potentially stranded passengers waited anxiously for news.
She had originally planned a flight to Dublin on Tuesday but booked a flight home for 8.55pm today after hearing about the incoming travel ban.
However, after arriving at the airport, Ms Scully and around 50 other passengers, were informed that the flight they were travelling on was overbooked and alternative arrangements would need to be made.
“We were told they would be putting us in a hotel with the idea to book a connecting flight from London to a country that can fly to Dublin. Now they are liaising with the Irish gov (government) to get a flight to Dublin before midnight,” Ms Scully said.
“There are now about 300 people here, some who were for the flight we were to get and some who had flights cancelled,” Rachel explained.
The Government announced a 48-hour ban on flights from Britain following fears over the spread of a new strain of Covid-19.
Transport minister Eamon Ryan made the announcement on the new restrictions on Sunday evening after a further 764 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Ireland as well as four further deaths.
Ms Scully, 23, who is heading to Dublin to spend a “quarantined Christmas” with her parents, described the anxious scenes at the airport, as people awaited news as to whether they would be allowed to travel.
“The mood is anxious, but the majority are just trying to make the best of a bad situation. A small few are kicking off at staff, who are honestly trying their best and can’t believe how this has turned out,” Ms Scully said.
Ryanair and Aer Lingus have published travel updates in response to the government's decision to ban all flights from the UK into Ireland for 48 hours.
The government announced the travel ban this evening in an attempt to prevent the spread of a new strain of Covid-19 before Tuesday's Cabinet meeting to assess the situation.
Ireland's announcement comes on the heels of other European countries' decision to ban travel from the UK.
Aer Lingus said it has suspended all flights from the UK to Ireland for the period and will be operating flights from Ireland to the UK to repatriate customers to Britain.
The airline said it would also offer flights for passengers with connecting flights to the UK.
Aer Lingus have said customers with a cancelled flight will be contacted directly and are entitled to a refund, voucher or rerouting in the future.
Ryanair have said any customers with flights to the UK cancelled by government announcements will be contacted by email and offered a change of flight or refund.
The airline said it would operate all other permitted flights to and from the UK including passengers who need to travel for business reasons.
It said any passenger who does not want to travel on a flight five days before Christmas can change their booking without charge up until March 15.
The government's unprecedented announcement on UK travel was made after a meeting of the government party leaders on Sunday after a day of conferring between cabinet ministers.
Transport minister Eamon Ryan made the announcement on the new restrictions on Sunday evening after a further 764 new cases of Covid-19 were reported and four further deaths
Exemptions have been made to essential workers and those bringing goods into the country.
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