Dublin and Cork airports are to ‘scale back’ passenger operations due to the dramatic fall in traffic as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Runways at the airports will remain open to maintain Ireland’s supply chain, and passenger flights will be facilitated ‘for as long as they continue to operate’.

DAA is pledging to help efforts get Irish citizens home and allow passengers from overseas to do the same.

However, they will shortly begin to scale back their passenger operations.

They said the future operations will be decided by factors such as Ireland’s travel policies and airlines’ operations.

Ryanair has already announced it expects to ground 'most if not all' of its flights by early next week, and is already operating at over 80% reduced capacity.

DAA today said staff will be paid their rostered hours for the next month, but will take one week’s mandatory leave and/or time in lieu.

There will be no pay increases in 2020 and the airport operator has also frozen all recruitment.

Essential maintenance, deep cleaning and mandatory regulatory training will be carried out while operations are scaled back.

DAA Chief Executive Dalton Philips said: “Passenger numbers at Dublin and Cork have decreased so rapidly in recent days that we have no choice but to begin to scale back passenger operations at both airports.”

Praising the work of staff at both airports, Mr Philips said: “They have been supporting passengers who are scared and anxious and helping them at this time of global crisis while also keeping our airports open to allow the flow of essential and emergency goods.”