Ryanair has surprised the travel industry with a plan to restore 40% of its flight schedule from July 1 - with holiday destinations amongst the routes coming back online.
The Irish low-cost airline their plans would be subject to government restrictions on flights within the EU being lifted and “effective public health measures” being put into effect at airports.
The restart plan would involve nearly 1,000 flights per day and 90% of Ryanair's regular routes being restored, but with fewer daily flights, CorkBeo reports.
Passengers and crew will be required to wear face masks or face coverings and pass temperature checks before boarding.
There will also be a ban on queuing for toilets but “toilet access will be made available to individual passengers upon request”.
The drinks and food trolleys will still be travelling the aisles but refreshments will be limited to pre-packaged items while sales will be cashless.
Ryanair said all surfaces in its cabins will be disinfected every night with chemicals that are effective for more than 24 hours.
The carrier will require all passengers flying in July and August to complete a form when they check-in, stating how long their visit will be and where they are staying.
This information will be then be provided to EU health agencies to “help them to monitor any isolation regulations they require of visitors on intra-EU flights”.
Ryanair chief executive Eddie Wilson said: “It is important for our customers and our people that we return to some normal schedules from 1 July onwards.
“Governments around Europe have implemented a four-month lockdown to limit the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
“After four months, it is time to get Europe flying again so we can reunite friends and families, allow people to return to work and restart Europe’s tourism industry, which provides so many millions of jobs.”
The Irish Government has yet to respond to the airline's plan.
