They were due to re-start at the end of March.

But Brittany Ferries has announced that due to the current travel restrictions, its flagship passenger service out of Cork to France will not now resume next month as planned.

The service will be kept under review and it is anticipated that services will recommence in mid-May. Freight only sailings out of both Cork and Rosslare will continue as scheduled.

The decision also sees the continuing suspension of a number of their other passenger services between the UK, France and Spain. In the coming days, Brittany Ferries will contact customers who hold bookings on affected sailings, to offer alternative travel or a refund.

“Naturally we very much regret any inconvenience that these changes will cause our customers,” said Christophe Mathieu, Brittany Ferries’ CEO.

“We had hoped for a return to service for all our routes in mid-March, but the reality is that most people are simply unable to travel at this time. Booking levels are extremely low and we are relying on loans to carry us through this difficult period. It is therefore simply not viable to run loss-making routes at this time.”

Brittany Ferries is also pushing governments to set out a “pragmatic, co-ordinated and clear roadmap to safely re-open travel” as soon as the health situation permits.

“We believe that the ramp-up of vaccines means that this re-opening could be considered sooner rather than later,” added Mathieu.