Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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76. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the timeline for completion of works being carried out on the runway at Cork Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33782/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, Cork Airport is progressing a Runway Reconstruction and Remediation Project.  This will be the single-biggest construction project, and the biggest investment by daa, at Cork Airport since the opening of the new terminal building in 2006.

The procurement process for the project is currently nearing completion and Cork Airport has advised that, following the award of the contract to the successful bidder, the airport will close from 12 September to 22 November.

The runway upgrade, when complete, will be a key strategic asset for the South of Ireland for the next 20 years.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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77. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when fully vaccinated international travellers that hold an EU digital Covid certificate will be allowed to enter Ireland without having to carry out mandatory quarantines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33784/21]

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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78. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if clarification will be provided to staff in Cork Airport regarding a reopening date for international travel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33783/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 78 together.

I would like to advise the Deputy that Government has announced a roadmap for the gradual reopening of international travel from 19 July.  From that date, Ireland will operate the EU Digital COVID Certificate (EU DCC) for travel originating within the EU/EEA.  This Certificate will show if a passenger is vaccinated against COVID-19, has recovered from COVID-19, or has a negative test result. 

Passengers arriving into Ireland after that date with an EU DCC will not have to undergo quarantine. However, passengers with a DCC based on a non-PCR test (for example, an antigen test), or those arriving without a DCC, will require proof of a negative RT-PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival. Passengers who have been in a non-EU/EEA country in the 14 days prior to arrival into Ireland will be subject to the rules applying to travel from that country. All passengers will be advised to observe public health restrictions and to present for post-arrival testing if they develop symptoms of COVID-19. 

Furthermore, from 19 July, Ireland will also broadly align itself to the EU approach to non-essential travel into the EU from third countries (outside EU/EEA).  To protect its citizens against the importation of variants, an ‘emergency brake’ mechanism will be coordinated at EU level to react swiftly to the emergence of a variant of concern or variant of interest.