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Flights will continue as normal at Dublin and Cork Airports in the event of a no-deal Brexit, according to an airport director.<\/p>\nFlights will continue as normal at Dublin and Cork Airports in the event of a no-deal Brexit, according to an airport director.<\/p>\n
Niall MacCarthy, the Dublin Airport Executive Brexit lead and Cork Airport managing director addressed an Irish Parliament Select Committee on Wednesday, outlining contingency plans for a crash Brexit on Ireland\u2019s airports.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to reassure the Committee that we expect flights will continue to operate as normal at Dublin and Cork Airports in the event of a no-deal Brexit,\u201d Mr MacCarthy said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the UK leaves the EU without a deal, emergency regulation will come into force at EU level to protect air connectivity for passengers and freight between the EU and the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n
This EU regulation will take effect immediately in the event that the UK exits the EU without a deal on October 31 and will apply until October 2020.<\/p>\n
The British government has also confirmed that it will mirror the provisions set out, in respect of the rights of EU air carriers within the UK.<\/p>\n
Similarly, neither UK or Irish passports holders will encounter any significant security or administration changes entering the country, in the event of no-deal.<\/p>\n
At airport immigration, UK passport holders arriving at Irish airports are currently processed through the EU\/EEA\/CH channel.<\/p>\n
If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the Irish Naturalization and Immigration Service (INIS) has confirmed that UK passport holders will continue to be processed through the \u2018EU\/EEA\/CH\u2019 channel \u2013 however, this \u2018EU\/EEA\/CH\u2019 channel will be re-designated as an EU\/EEA\/CH and UK channel.<\/p>\n
There will be no additional or onerous immigration checks applied to UK passport holders at Irish airports.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is important we all get this message out as there is likely to be confusion and uncertainty particularly with UK tourists considering coming to Ireland,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
In terms of security processes, there will be no changes or additional requirements for UK-bound passengers departing from Irish airports as a result of a \u2018no deal\u2019 Brexit.<\/p>\n
UK-bound passengers will continue to comply with all current security processes and requirements, with no change anticipated.<\/p>\n
\u201cFurthermore, the Irish Government has now confirmed that duty-free shopping will return on alcohol and tobacco products if the UK leaves the EU without a deal,\u201d Mr MacCarthy added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis means that passengers departing from Irish airports to UK airports will be able to purchase these products at duty-free prices, but only in the event of no deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The committee heard that airports at Dublin and Cork are uniquely exposed to Brexit in a European airport context, given the significant traffic between Ireland and the UK.<\/p>\n
UK passenger traffic accounted for 12% of total traffic flows across EU 27 airports in 2017, in contrast, UK traffic amounted to circa 38% of total Irish traffic.<\/p>\n
Mr MacCarthy concluded that, ultimately, the greatest risk for Irish aviation from a \u2018no deal\u2019 Brexit is the wider economic impacts on tourism and business.<\/p>\n
Failte Ireland has indicated at least 10,000 jobs would be lost in the tourism sector in Ireland, and believe there could be a loss of more than one million British tourists each year, resulting in the loss of 380 million euro per year.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor this reason, we in the aviation industry, strongly believe that everything possible should be done to avoid a no-deal Brexit, in order to safeguard tourism and all the jobs throughout the country which are dependent on it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ryanair has announced an expansion of flights on two of their major summer services flying out of Cork Airport.<\/p>\n
The low-fare airline is now flying from Cork to Malaga six times per week as well as four flights a week to the Spanish resort of Palma, now four per week.<\/p>\n