In June, five main Irish airports handled a total of 309,879 airline passengers 283,883 airline passengers were handled by Dublin Airport.June passenger traffic number was still 92 percent lower than the same month in 2019.The Irish airports did not feel the impact of the pandemic until March 2020. According to Ireland’s Central Statistics Office (CSO), the number of airline passengers passing through the country’s main airports in June of 2021 was up nearly 23% year on year, but still way below the 2019 level. Passenger Traffic at Main Airports in Ireland Up 230% In its bulletin, the CSO said that in June, the five main airports in Ireland, which, according to Irish aviation authorities, account for around 99 percent of the country’s annual airport passenger traffic and handled a total of 309,879 passengers, up 229.3 percent when compared with the same month of last year. However, the June passenger traffic number of the five airports was still 92 percent lower than the same month in 2019 when more than 3.77 million passengers were handled between them, said the CSO, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic continued to have a major impact on the country’s airports. Of all the airport passengers handled in June, 283,883 people or nearly 92 percent were handled by Dublin Airport, up 219 percent year on year but still 91 percent lower than June 2019, the CSO figures showed. Dublin Airport said in a press release Tuesday that it handled almost 658,000 passengers in July, up 72.7 percent compared to July 2020 but still 81 percent lower than the pre-pandemic level in July 2019. In the first half of this year, the five main airports in Ireland handled slightly over one million passengers, down 83.35 compared with the same period of last year, according to the CSO. The Irish airports did not feel the impact of the pandemic until March 2020. In the first two months of 2020 alone, the five main airports in the country handled more than 4.7 million passengers.

Ryanair confirms Budapest route expansion.New flight provides an important addition to the Hungarian gateway’s connectivity to Ireland.New service will be important in enhancing Budapest’s connectivity across Ireland. This winter Budapest Airport will increase its Irish network with Ryanair, as the ultra-low-cost carrier has confirmed a new connection to Shannon. Ryanair beefs up Budapest route with new Shannon connection The twice-weekly link launches on 1 November and will mean the Irish airline operates 81% of Budapest’s services to Ireland. It also provides an important addition to the Hungarian gateway’s connectivity to Ireland, with Shannon at the heart of the Wild Atlantic Way tourism trail on the country’s west coast. Balázs Bogáts, Head of Airline Development, Budapest Airport comments: “Ryanair’s confirmed expansion of our route map completely supports our forward-looking focus to not only re-establish our network, but also further develop tourism and business links alike.” Bogáts adds: “Joining our popular operations to Dublin, this service will be hugely important in enhancing our connectivity across Ireland.”

Latest international airline to capitalize on PIT’s cargo speed.Hong Kong-based carrier will serve Pittsburgh International Airport through end of year.Planes will arrive on Mondays and Fridays and depart the next day. Cargo operations at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) will get another boost with the return of twice weekly flights from Cathay Pacific Airways. Cathay Pacific Airways Returns to Pittsburgh International Airport Cathay Pacific starts service on Aug. 2, 2021, with its Boeing 777-300ER passenger planes that have been converted for cargo, with plans to serve PIT through the end of the year. Planes will arrive on Mondays and Fridays and depart the next day. Cargo onboard the aircraft is for the garment industry. The aircraft will start their flights from Hanoi, Vietnam, stopping at Cathay Pacific’s Cargo Terminal at Hong Kong International Airport before flying nonstop to PIT. Cathay Pacific initially started cargo service to PIT in September 2020 with 20 flights. PIT’s ability to quickly unload cargo and get it on trucks for delivery is one of the reasons Cathay Pacific and freight forwarder partner Unique Logistics chose to return for their latest cargo venture. “Pittsburgh International Airport’s geographic location, community support, and operational efficiencies provide the ideal environment for us to operate service from Vietnam with Cathay Pacific to the Pittsburgh area,” said Marc Schlossberg, Executive Vice President of Unique Logistics. “Unique Logistics is contracted to operate around 120 such flights with several airlines from Asia into PIT and other airports in the United States for the remainder of 2021, adding valuable air cargo capacity for US importers.” “Additional flights could be added to PIT as the operation scales up,” added Schlossberg.

UK domestic tourism price increases could see British travelers flock to outbound operators in 2022 Domestic tourism prices increase could deter British tourists in 2022.36% of UK residents are ‘extremely’ or ‘somewhat’ concerned about their financial situation. Many UK holiday providers need to rethink their pricing strategy now. Some UK domestic holiday and accommodation providers have increased prices significantly throughout 2021 amid soaring ‘staycation’ demand and this could deter British tourists in 2022. UK Domestic Tourism Priced Itself Out of the Market Increasing prices risks resulting in a lost opportunity for many UK tourism companies that previously had a prime opportunity to increase competitiveness with outbound tour operators. Instead, overinflated prices could effectively price them out of the market for summer 2022 and beyond, when UK travelers are more likely to venture abroad again. According to Q1 2021 UK consumer survey, 26% of respondents cut out certain products from their budget due to the pandemic. Furthermore, in the same study, 36% of UK respondents said they were ‘extremely’ or ‘somewhat’ concerned about their financial situation, highlighting the travel industry’s need for competitively priced products. While it has been a relief for the UK tourism industry to see domestic tourism boom this summer, it is disappointing to see companies focus on short-term rewards rather than looking at the long-term stability of the UK domestic tourism industry. Companies had a major opportunity to create a unique British holiday experience and add value in the process. Unfortunately, this opportunity risks being lost for many staycation providers due to an over-exploitative attitude towards traveler demand. Many potential domestic tourists have compared costs to all-inclusive European package holidays, which typically includes flights, accommodation, transfers, food, and drink, and it has been found that these holidays are often cheaper for the same exact dates as domestic holidays. Moreover, rules are being made more transparent, cancellation and refund policies have been made fairer, and many consumers are fully vaccinated. As a result, the window is closing on domestic tourism’s chance to make a positive lasting impression, and many UK holiday providers need to rethink their pricing strategy now. With parts of Europe opening to tourists again, travelers are comparing prices more than ever. Ultimately, businesses that are overinflating charges could price themselves out of the travel market, which is self-destructive and not viable in the long term. Domestic holiday companies need to understand the competitive nature of outbound travel operators and the fierce competition they create. Jet2holidays and TUI lead the way in offering package holidays as they have substantial control over their supply chain, passing savings on to the traveler in the form of competitive prices. On reflection, UK domestic holiday providers’ aggressive approach to cash in on demand appears naive and short-sighted and outbound tour operators are likely to win back old customers quicker than expected as a result.

Domestic holidays are set to be the most popular in UK in the coming 12 months.Large spike in cases across the UK could reduce some travelers’ confidence.Travel businesses preparing for a busy summer could experience a wave of cancelations or postponements. Despite staycation demand in the UK being strong, the rise in COVID-19 infections and the requirement to self-isolate if ‘pinged’ could jeopardize summer plans, and tourism operators could miss out on much-needed revenue this summer. COVID-19 case spike could jeopardize UK domestic travel recovery this summer According to a recent poll, domestic holidays are set to be the most popular in the coming 12 months, with 30% of UK respondents opting for this type of trip, marginally lower than the 32% of global respondents preferring domestic travel. With restrictions continuously changing for international travel, domestic holidays seem a safer bet in the immediate term. Despite high demand, the large spike in cases across the UK could reduce some travelers’ confidence. With cases rising, travelers are more likely to adopt a cautious approach towards summer travel. Travel businesses preparing for a busy summer could experience a wave of cancelations or postponements as some shy away from crowded tourism areas as cases rise, despite restrictions easing. The ‘pingdemic’ has hit the UK hard, with 618,903 people receiving a notification to self-isolate in the period between July 8 and 14. This is a 17% rise from the previous week. With a record number pinged, travel is likely to experience disruption this summer. A period of isolation is on the cards for those pinged, and being restricted to home quarantine will impact holiday bookings. Pinged individuals with imminent bookings are likely to cancel as they can no longer travel. With cases increasing due to the highly transmissible Delta variant and more being instructed to isolate, travel looks set for a bumpy season. Despite restrictions easing and the hope for a summer revival being high, the ‘pingdemic’ has the potential to restrict travel and inhibit the UK’s domestic recovery. To bolster bookings many operators introduced generous refund policies and could be facing the prospect of refunding travelers if cases rise, and travel bookings are impacted. Attractive refund policies have driven increased sales for many operators, however, the rise in COVID-19 cases could begin to impact operator’s revenue. Cash flow could dry up for operators impacted by a high volume of cancelations, income could fall, and financial struggles could continue.

Russia’s obligation to participate in the ISS program ends at the end of 2025.In April, 2021, Russian Prsident approved plans for new Russian Orbital Service Station.Russian space chief suggest creation a separate space station module for tourists. Russian space agency officials have suggested constructing a special module for tourists on the proposed Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS), a Moscow-funded replacement for the aging International Space Station (ISS). Russia to add tourist module to its next space station According to the head of the Russian State Space Corporation (Roscosmos) Dmitry Rogozin, the Roscosmos Scientific and Technical Council discussed the ROSS creation at its meeting on July 31. “I suggested that the project should include the creation of a separate module for visitors,” the Roscosmos chief said. With Russia’s obligations to participate in the ISS program coming to an end in 2025, there has long been speculation about the future of the planet’s only inhabited space station. Roscosmos will not engage in suborbital flights, Russian space official said, but Russian space agency will get involved in developing space tourism as part of the orbital piloted program. In April, 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the plans for new Russian Orbital Service Station, signing off on a proposal for a space station with three to seven modules. If the decision is made to include a segment purely for tourists, it will continue a tradition of Russia’s participation in space tourism. In 2001, American engineer Dennis Tito became the first space tourist to fund his own trip into space, arriving in the Russian Soyuz TM-32 rocket.