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Dublin Port Company says volcanic ash brought bonanza for Irish ferries; Trips to Ireland by overseas residents in February 2010 were down by 24.3%
By Finfacts Team
Apr 22, 2010 - 2:15:08 PM
Trips to Ireland by overseas residents for February 2010 were down by 24.3% to 336,800 compared to February 2009, a decrease of 108,400, according to the CSO. Meanwhile, Dublin Port Company said today that volcanic ash, which closed much of European airspace for a week, brought a bonanza for Irish ferries.
Visitors from Great Britain were down by 29.9% to 171,500 while trips to Ireland by residents of other Europe and North America decreased by 22.8% and 6.7% respectively. Trips by residents of other countries increased by 9.4%. . CSO figures earlier this year showed that the number of people travelling to Ireland last year was the lowest since 2005.
Irish residents made 447,200 overseas trips in February 2010 which was 5.7% less than the number that travelled in February 2009. The CSO “Airport Pairings” database contains information on every direct flight in and out of the nine Irish airports on a monthly basis. Data is available from January 2006 to January 2010. For details go here.
Volcanic Ash Bonanza
Dublin Port Company today released details of the number of passengers facilitated by the five ferry companies operating at Ireland's largest port in the week of flight cancellations as a result of the Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption. Between Thursday, 15th April and yesterday, Wednesday, 21st April, Irish Ferries, Norfolkline, P&O, Seatruck Ferries and Stena Line carried 72,118 passengers on the Dublin to Holyhead and Dublin to Liverpool routes.
Commenting on the increased passenger numbers, Mr. Enda Connellan, chief executive, Dublin Port Company, said: “The past week has been the busiest ever for Dublin Port Company's ferry terminals with over 72,000 passengers moving through Ireland's largest port following the unprecedented disruption of air traffic. The five ferry companies operating at Dublin Port have worked tirelessly to facilitate the thousands of passengers who sought alternatives to either make or complete their travels by sea. We have a saying in Dublin Port – “we're here, we're near and you can depend on us” and certainly the ferry companies operating here at Dublin Port lived up to that saying in the past week.”
Commenting on the role ferry ports played in alleviating the inconvenience of some of the discommoded passengers Noel Dempsey TD, Minister for Transport said: “As an island nation we are hugely dependent on sea and air links with other countries. Last week showed just how important our ports are not only to the movement of goods but also to the movement of people. I'm sure that the 72,000 people who passed through Dublin Port last week would share those sentiments. I would like to commend Dublin Port along with Cork and Rosslare ports and the ferry companies operating there for their flexibility and efficiency in handling what was an unprecedented demand for their services.“
Full trade statistics at Dublin Port for March 2010 (which will include full trade statistics for the first quarter of 2010) will be released next week. Ireland's largest port has seen monthly trade levels increase year-on-year since December 2009.
