image courtesy Aer Lingus
 
Ireland is the first country in Europe where fully vaccinated British citizens can visit without the need for any COVID-19 tests into or out of the country. There will also be no requirement to self-isolate if fully vaccinated.
 
Aer Lingus is operating 109 weekly scheduled services between the Republic and the UK.
 
Customers will be able to fly from Heathrow to Dublin, Cork and Belfast City Airport in Northern Ireland; from Manchester to Dublin and Belfast City Airport; Birmingham to Dublin and Belfast City Airport; Edinburgh to Dublin and Belfast City Airport and Glasgow to Dublin.

 
The airline, which continued to fly throughout the pandemic for essential travel and to keep trade links open, has reiterated how maintaining high safety standards and protecting the health of its customers and colleagues is central to its operation.
 
Peter O’Neill, Aer Lingus Chief Operations Officer, said: “We are delighted to welcome our British customers back on board now that travel restrictions have been relaxed, reconnecting friends and families that have been kept apart for too long.
 
“We are looking forward to serving our customers once again and providing them with a warm Aer Lingus welcome from airports across the UK.
“We are pleased to once again be able to do what we do best for more customers - deliver safe international travel.
 
“Thanks to the air filtration systems on board all of our aircraft, and how they manage air flow, it has been proven that the only other indoor environment with comparable air-quality is an operating theatre.
 
“Safety measures such as mask requirements, additional cleaning, and new boarding and disembarking procedures have been in practice across the airline for the past year. We’re more than ready to welcome more customers back on board.”
 
Upon arrival in Ireland, all British visitors will need to show proof of full vaccination, such as their NHS App Covid Pass, a vaccination status letter or their NHS vaccine paper card.
 
Customers without proof of vaccination will need to show evidence of a negative PCR test within 72 hours before arriving and quarantine for 14 days or a minimum of five days if they prove negative with a second PCR test, provided by the Health Service Executive in Ireland on day five.

From Monday 19th July, children under the age of 12 travelling with vaccinated parents/ guardians will not need to take a PCR test prior to travelling to Ireland. However, children aged 12 to 17, who are not fully vaccinated, will need to show a negative PCR test result on arrival in Ireland, even when travelling with fully vaccinated parents/ guardians.
 
Earlier this year Aer Lingus introduced a range of new safety measures in line with the guidance provided by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control).
 
These additional measures include the mandatory wearing of face masks at all times, by all customers and crew. Social distancing is to be maintained at check in, boarding gates, during boarding and disembarking aircraft.
 
These procedures, along with an enhanced cleaning system and state-of-the-art air filtration technology as standard on Aer Lingus Airbus aircraft, ensure customers have a safe and comfortable flight.
 
Aer Lingus has introduced new ways to keep bookings flexible should travel plans change, with its ‘Book with Confidence’ proposition.