Cork and Shannon airports have reiterated calls for the implementation of passenger testing to allow a return of some air passenger travel following the loss of their Ryanair bases.

Senator denies meeting is a pointless exercise as Ryanair announced closure of bases at Cork and Shannon airports for winter

He said that Ireland has signed Ireland up to the EU’s Traffic Light travel system which will be finalised at the Cabinet meeting next Tuesday

Airlines will follow the money and base themselves in Cork and Shannon if incentivised to do so, it is claimed.

The notion we should cocoon the whole island, in the context of international connectivity, is a nonsense propagated by those who believe the Covid virus can be eradicated says airline boss 

Cork airport handled less than 500 flights last month

Airport testing could potentially slow the country's full adoption of the system

'In football terms, we hauled ourselves into the Premiership over the last two to three years, but we’ve just been relegated again.'

Pre-departure Covid-19 testing at Dublin and Cork airports could be made available to passengers by mid-October with government assistance, the Oireachtas Transport Committee has heard.

DAA, which owns and operates Dublin and Cork Airports, will tell the committee that Dublin's passenger numbers will be as low as they were in 1995

Shannon Group CEO says government supports are "urgently needed" to help the sector recover from the catastrophic impact of the coronavirus pandemic

Resuming international travel and removing quarantine restrictions are also viewed as key by the Tourism Recovery Taskforce

Signatories also include Aramark, Coca-Cola, daa, Dalata Hotel Group, Diageo and Heinken Ireland

The move comes after Ryanair threatened to close its bases in Shannon and Cork airports

Failure to fully implement the proposed traffic light system would likely kill any chances of a potential recovery, the ITIC said

Urgent talks are needed to save Ireland's aviation sector amid fears for the future of the state airports arising out of the pandemic, a senator has said.

It can come as no surprise to readers that Ireland’s tourism and hospitality industry has been hit harder than any other economic sector during this dreadful pandemic.

Thousands of Irish tourism jobs are at risk unless the Government adopts new aviation and travel policies within weeks, airport chiefs have warned.

Passenger numbers at Dublin Airport were down 99% in April and May at the height of the lockdown compared to the corresponding months in 2019.

The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation is asking the government to introduce a rapid Covid-19 testing regime to allow for international travel and tourism to recommence