Ryanair says coronavirus could keep Europeans closer to home

Ryanair Holdings said demand for air travel within Europe could receive an unlikely boost if the Chinese coronavirus epidemic persists, prompting people to holiday closer to home. Trends from 2003, when travellers shunned Asia after the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak, suggest consumers may begin to alter their travel habits, Ryanair CFO Neil Sorahan said. “People tended to stay close to home,” Sorahan said Monday. “They holidayed in Europe as opposed to heading as far afield as Asia and elsewhere.” Dozens of nations and airlines are restricting travel, with almost 10,000 flights cancelled through Jan. 31, even though the WHO has so far said that such limits aren’t needed to control the advance. SARS affected 26 countries, resulting in close to 800 deaths from about 8,000 cases, according to the WHO. Fitch Group said in a note that a prolonged outbreak of the coronavirus would weigh on the tourist economy in Thailand, affecting not only Chinese demand but travel from elsewhere. For Ryanair, a surge in European travel would bolster margins as it grapples with the grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max jet. <br/>