A popular Dublin Airport flight service has been cancelled for the foreseeable ahead of the busy Christmas travel period as fears continue to grow for those looking to come home ahead of the festivities.
Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific has axed seven loss-making international routes, including the capital, which were all severely in the red because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
As well as Dublin, Newark; Washington; Brussels; Seattle; London Gatwick and flights to the Maldives have also gotten the chop but it may not be permanent.
A source said that although the services will not return in 2020, they could be reinstated once travel returns to normal worldwide.
The airline had stopped flights to and from Dublin last November as part of a brief Winter break.
They were due to start the service back four times a week from the end of March this year but that was subsequently put on hold because of lockdown.
The news comes as passengers and members of the public will be able to take a drive-through or walk-in Covid-19 test at Dublin Airport from this Thursday.
Two new facilities are set to open with prices starting at €99 and going up to €159 if you want the results within five hours.
All customers will need to book their test online in advance directly with the healthcare companies operating them - Randox and RocDoc.
The providers have capacity of more than 12,000 tests per day if needed, which is expected to be expanded to 15,000.
Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison said: “We have been keen to provide testing at Dublin Airport for some time and the Government’s recent decision to grant planning exemption, which we strongly welcome, will enable two testing facilities to open this Thursday."
Pricing (Set by the companies in question):
Randox (Walk-through service)
PCR test €99 with results in 24-48 hours
RocDoc (Drive-through service)
PCR test €129 with results in 24-48 hours
LAMP test €149 with results in 12 hours
LAMP test express €159 with results in 5 hours
