Airline & Ferry Connectivity Update

 There’s been an important update for business travellers to be aware of across both airline and ferry travel due to the affects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Airline Updates

Belfast Departures & Arrivals

Ryanair will suspend flights from Belfast to London Stansted (BFS/EGAA – STN/EGSS) from 21 January through to the end of March due to the ongoing lockdown.

But do not worry, you can still alternatively fly from Belfast International airport to London Gatwick, Luton and London Stansted via EasyJet. Plus, British Airways & Aer Lingus have daily operational flights into London Heathrow.

For schedule and flight information, these can be found via Belfast City airport’s airline routes and destination map. Below, we have summarised routes in table form.

Dublin Departures & Arrivals

Flights from Dublin Airport are still operating into mainland UK.  Both the UK and Irish governments have advised all passengers arriving from/to UK/Ireland except for children under six or international transport workers must have a negative or not detected COVID-19 PCR test, taken within 72 hours prior to and will be required to produce this evidence upon arrival.

For a list of airlines/routes via Dublin please refer to Dublin Airport’s airline information page.

For up-to-date schedules or routing information please reach out to your account manager or email us at Bookings@beyondbusinesstravel.com and we shall be happy to help.

Ferry Route Changes

Ferry operator Stena Line has taken the opportunity to further increase its freight capacity direct from Ireland to continental Europe in response to increased post-Brexit demand by adding a new weekend sailing from Dublin to Cherbourg. The new service will start next Saturday and will result in a temporary reduction in weekend capacity on the Dublin to Holyhead route, where demand has dropped dramatically since 1 January.

The new route will use the Stena Estrid, while the Stena Adventurer will continue to operate on the Holyhead route at weekends. Trade volumes across the Irish Sea are down substantially on normal levels due to new customs procedures and systems that were introduced when the UK became a third country on 1 January.

More information can be found at the following link – https://www.stenalinefreight.com/news/boosting-ireland-to-france-capacity/

Brittany Ferries has brought forward its new Rosslare to Cherbourg service. The new service began on Monday 18 January, two months earlier than planned.

Pre-Departure Testing

If you arrive in Northern Ireland having travelled through the Republic of Ireland after having been outside of the CTA you must make sure you complete a UK Passenger Locator Form. This is in addition to travel information you may be required to provide to travel authorities in the Republic of Ireland.

From 21 January 2021, most people travelling to Northern Ireland from abroad (outside CTA) will need proof of a negative Coronavirus test.

The test should take place in the departure country.  More information can be found at NI Direct’s official travel advice page.

We have reached out to our key airline suppliers who are operating within the Common Travel Area, BA, Aer Lingus, EasyJet and Logan Air.   And can confirm that all partners’ current routes, although are running at reduced capacity, will be revised when the government travel restrictions are lifted, but no further announcements are expected.  But that’s today’s message, and we will keep you abreast of any changes as we hear anything.

Government Updates

For the latest information on connectivity in the Common Travel Area, please refer to the Irish government and UK government‘s travel guides.