Ryanair starts gearing up for summer rush
RYANAIR yesterday confirmed it plans to ramp up flights to several key holiday airports in Europe from July 1.
The company has also launched a sale to kick-start the demand for tickets when it lays on 1,000 daily flights from the UK and Ireland to Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Cyprus.
The announcement came after the Spanish government revealed on Monday that its requirement for overseas visitors to go into quarantine for 14 days will be lifted from July 1.
Ryanair’s CEO Eddie Wilson said: “We look forward to welcoming millions of Ryanair passengers and their families back on board, and flying them on holiday as Europe’s economies begin to recover from these difficult recent lockdowns.
“After four months of lockdown, we welcome these moves by governments to open their borders, remove travel restrictions and scrap ineffective quarantines.
“Irish and British families, who have been subject to lockdown for the last 10 weeks can now look forward to booking their much-needed family holiday before the schools return in September.
“We have a range of low fare seat sales, perfect for that summer getaway, which we know many parents and their kids will be looking forward to as we move out of lockdown and into the school holidays.”
Mr Wilson said all flights will operate with new health guidelines in place, which will require passengers and crews to wear face masks in airport terminals and on board the plane, “in compliance with EU guidelines”. Travellers will be told that they should take their temperature before going to the airport – and warned it may be checked again before the flight.
During flights, the toilets will not be open to avoid queues forming in the aisle, but passengers can request access.
In a briefing about its precautions, Ryanair said all plane interiors will be professionally cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis.
The firm also said its fleet of aircraft is fitted with “air filters” similar to those used in hospitals.
In Portugal, hotels will start reopening on June 1 and beaches will follow suit a week later with social distancing rules in place.
Similarly in Greece, some beaches have already reopened, while hotels and popular tourist spots will reopen on June 1. International flights are set to resume on June 15 but only from countries deemed safe.
The UK is to impose a 14-day quarantine requirement for anyone arriving in the country from June 8, but the rules will be reviewed every three weeks.
Anyone caught breaking the regulations risks a £1,000 fine.
Britons may be able to bypass quarantine rules in Greece and Portugal if the UK applies the same directive to them.
The Italian government is also expected to press for exemption from the UK’s self-isolation mandate.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock previously warned that going on foreign holidays was unlikely for most UK residents this summer.