Low-cost airline Ryanair has threatened to suspend all flights from the UK and Ireland by the end of this month in a backlash against 'draconian' lockdown restrictions on travel.
The carrier expects Covid lockdowns will force it to dramatically cut its flight schedules with passenger numbers plummeting.
Ryanair fears latest coronavirus travel restrictions could reduce February and March traffic to as little as 500,000 passengers each month, so the airline has announced it will significantly cut its flight schedules from January 21 with "few, if any" flights to and from the UK and Ireland.
Further cuts in flights will reduce passenger forecasts from 'below 35 million' to between 26 million and 30 million customers.
Ryanair demanded the government speeds up the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine and blasted the tough controls on travel.
Bosses were recently criticised for an advertising campaign urging customers to have the Covid vaccine and book a getaway.
A spokesperson for the low-cost carrier said: "The World Health organisation has previously confirmed that Governments should do everything possible to avoid brutal lockdowns, because lockdowns do not get rid of the virus.
"Covid-19 travel restrictions are already the most stringent in Europe, and so these new flight restrictions are inexplicable and ineffective.
"Vaccinations rather than lockdowns is the way out of this Covid-19 crisis, and the sooner action is taken to accelerate vaccine rollout speed, the better.”
Ryanair added: “All customers affected by these further flight cancellations and further travel restrictions will receive emails advising them of their entitlements of free moves and/or refunds later today.”
