Ryanair, Europe’s largest passenger airline, today (Thurs 21^st May) welcomed new EU guidelines to ensure that Europe’s citizens can return to flying within the European Union in the coming weeks in a manner that best protects their health and the health of airline crew. These effective guidelines now allow Europe’s tourism industry to restart in July & August.

Ryanair especially welcomes the advice on face masks, which reflects Ryanair’s own health protocols as it returns to widespread flying on 1 July. Ryanair again calls on the Irish and UK Government to drop their unimplementable and ineffective 14 day quarantine measures, which are now being scrapped in most other European countries in favour of face masks and social distancing.

Ryanair’s Group CEO Michael O’Leary said:

“14 day quarantines are ineffective and unimplementable. Requiring international arrivals to quarantine only after they have used multiple public transport providers to get from the airport to their ultimate destination has no basis in science or medicine. We strongly urge Europe’s Governments, especially those in Ireland and the UK, to mandate to the wearing of face masks for airline, train and (London) underground passengers, as this is the best and most effective way to limit the spread of Covid-19 in public transport environments where social distancing is not possible.

We welcome the European Union’s recommendation on face masks, and call again on the Irish and UK Government to abandon their unexplainable, ineffective, and unimplementable quarantine restrictions. Europe’s citizens can travel safely on their summer holidays wearing face masks and observing temperature protocols, but 14 day quarantines have no scientific basis, are unimplementable and unnecessary in circumstances where airline, train and underground passengers wear face masks where social distancing isn’t possible.”