Current Travel Advice
From 9th January, the Irish Government will require all persons departing Great Britain for Ireland to provide a negative result of a PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure. The mandatory requirement for a PCR test will be enforced at Border Control in Ireland.
At boarding in Great Britain, Airlines will require passengers to present evidence (e.g. email, text of document) of a negative PCR test result that can subsequently be verified by Border Control staff in Ireland. Passengers that do not have such evidence will be advised that they may be prosecuted on arrival if they proceed to travel.
Ireland West Airport continues to liaise with the Department of Transport, other Government Departments and the relevant authorities as required.
EU Traffic Light System
The Irish Government has implemented the new ‘traffic lights’ approach to international travel, which applies to countries in the European Union/European Economic Area and to the UK.
Based upon common EU epidemiological data, the ECDC ‘traffic lights’ mapping information is updated every Thursday and the changes are applied with effect to travel to Ireland from the following Monday.
You can view the latest map showing the status of each country here
Regions are classified as:
For persons travelling out of Ireland to regions that are not categorised as green, comprehensive guidance is available at Gov.ie
For persons travelling into Ireland the following arrangements apply:
From midnight 29th November, arrivals from an EU red region will not be expected to restrict movements following receipt of a negative/not-detected result from a Covid-19 PCR test taken a minimum of five days after arrival in Ireland. This provision will also be available to arrivals from orange regions who may not have availed of a pre-departure test.
It remains a requirement for intending arrivals to Ireland to adhere to the guidance set out in the Air and Maritime Travel Protocols, available on the Department of Transport website, specifically in relation to the enhanced self-declaration of COVID-19 status required pre-boarding, i.e. that:
It remains a mandatory requirement for arrivals to Ireland (excluding essential transport workers) to correctly complete a Passenger Locator Form which can be completed online here
COVID-19 TESTS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
There are a number of Covid-19 testing technologies currently available or emerging on the commercial market. However, subject to the ongoing review of testing by NPHET and Government, a negative result from a Covid-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test is the only test result that means the passenger is not expected to follow advice to restrict movements. Testing technology and delivery options for facilitating international travel will be kept under review.
Testing provision under Ireland’s framework for international travel will not be provided through the public health system, but rather will be met by the private commercial sector testing supply on a user pays basis. As the availability of testing cannot be guaranteed intending passengers wishing to avail of a test should seek an early appointment for a test in advance of travel.
All arrivals are expected to follow the prevailing public health advice in Ireland upon arrival. The information and guidance concerning public health measures and international travel are available on Gov.ie. Currently, public health advice is that there should be no non-essential international travel.
It is important to emphasise that Ireland is currently under level 5 of the Government’s National Framework for living with COVID-19 and the advice remains that there should be no non-essential international travel.
New COVID-19 Protocols at Ireland West Airport
At Ireland West Airport your wellbeing is our number one priority. We understand that air travel in this current coronavirus (COVID-19) world is a new experience for everybody. It is our priority to ensure that all our staff and passengers keep healthy and safe.
Ireland West Airport is following Ireland's public health advice in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is more information on COVID-19 here
From July 1st we have introduced a range of new measures, which reflect both Ireland’s national COVID-19 guidelines, and the recent guidelines developed by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), to ensure the safe return of flight operations in Europe’s aviation sector.
When you travel through the airport we encourage the public to adhere to the following protocols to ensure we protect each other and ensure the journey through Ireland West Airport continues to be a safe and pleasant one. See video above for more details.
New COVID-19 Protocols
There are a number of differences you will see when you travel through the airport which are there to ensure your safety and allow you to continue with your journey.
We all have a responsibility to look after our own personal hygiene. Passengers are reminded of the importance of regular hand hygiene, and to act in a responsible manner and follow the guidelines in place to ensure the journey through the airport continues to be a safe and pleasant one.
Thank you for your support in keeping each other safe whilst travelling through Ireland West Airport.