...but look who has other ideas!
RYANAIR boss Michael O’Leary rubbished Boris Johnson’s quarantine plans yesterday as the budget airline vowed to “get Europe flying again” from July.
The outspoken Irishman slammed the Prime Minister’s 14-day isolation for those arriving in the UK as “idiotic”.
And he said Britons want to get away – despite warnings it is unlikely foreign holidays will be possible this summer.
Ryanair plans to return to 40 per cent of normal flight
schedules from July 1, subject to virus restrictions.
It will run about 1,000 flights a day – up from 30 a day now – to restore 90 per cent of its network.
Mr O’Leary said: “We’re over the peak. What we need is effective measures and in air travel this will involve masks and temperature checks.
“They’re not going to involve measures that have no public support like lockdown, isolation. They’re unimplementable anyway.
“We know from customer feedback there’s a pent-up desire of families who want to get away to the beaches of Spain and Portugal – where, by the way, there will be no spread of the virus.”
Mr O’Leary also hit out at the quarantines not applying to French and Irish visitors.
He said: “What’s ineffective is these kind of idiotic measures like a 14-day quarantine, which is non-science-based, when you can exempt the French and you can exempt the Irish.”
Talking separately, Ryanair chief executive Eddie Wilson said: “It is important for our customers and people that we return to some normal schedules from July 1.
“It is time to get Europe flying again so we can reunite friends and families, allow people to work and restart Europe’s tourism industry.”
Mr O’Leary also said the airline will sell tickets for middle seats – ignoring calls to keep them empty to aid social distancing.
Saying they are “vital” for families, he added: “There will be some element of distancing. You will not be allowed to queue for the toilet, payments will be contactless.”
The major British airlines have yet to decide when to resume large-scale flights.
But a spokesman for easyJet said: “We remain hopeful we will be flying over the summer.” And Virgin Atlantic, which is seeking a £500million loan from the Government to avoid collapse, launched its 2021 flight schedule yesterday.
Meanwhile, the European Commission criticised the UK’s decision to not apply the quarantine exemption to all EU nations at a similar stage of their outbreak to us.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News: “It’s a matter of fact that we have to control this virus.”