Non-essential travel from Ireland to the United States has resumed, with several flights to leave Dublin Airport from Monday morning.
Aer Lingus has said almost every seat on its transatlantic flights to the US were booked up this week.
The airline’s chief executive Lynne Embleton said Monday marked a “very important day” for the Irish airline.
“After 20 long months, we are re-establishing Dublin Airport as the most efficient connecting hub between the US and Europe.”
The airline operates 70 flights to and from the US, to destinations such as New York, Washington DC, Boston and Chicago. Aer Lingus said it planned to run 16 different transatlantic routes next year, and increase its capacity on the flights over the coming months.
The airline also plans to re-introduce flights from Shannon to the US next March, with 14 flights per week to destinations such as New York and Boston.
Irish citizens travelling to the US will be required to show proof of vaccination, as well as a negative Covid-19 test taken in the previous three days.
There will also be contact tracing checks carried out before departure.
| Confirmed cases in hospital | Confirmed cases in ICU |
|---|---|
|
478 |
75 |
The ban on air travellers from Europe was put in place by former US president Donald Trump last year in response to the spreading Covid-19 pandemic.
Flights from Dublin to the US on Monday included journeys to Chicago, New York, and Boston.
Passengers have been advised to download the VeriFLY app, where they can upload necessary Covid-19 documentation, such as vaccination certificates.
Peter O’Neill, Aer Lingus chief operating officer, said transatlantic customers would not be able to check in online without using the app.
The United States expects a flood of international visitors crossing its borders by air and by land on Monday after lifting travel restrictions for much of the world’s population.
United Airlines is expecting about 50 per cent more total international inbound passengers on Monday compared to last Monday when it had about 20,000 passengers.
And Delta Air Lines chief executive Ed Bastian has warned travellers should be prepared for initial long lines.
“It’s going to be a bit sloppy at first. I can assure you, there will be lines unfortunately,” Mr Bastian said, adding that “we’ll get it sorted out”.
Delta said in the six weeks since the US reopening was announced it has seen a 450 per cent increase in international point-of-sale bookings versus the six weeks prior to the announcement.
White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said on Twitter “As we expect high demand when the
