Ryanair to cut Italy flights by 25% due to coronavirus

Ryanair will cut capacity in and out of Italy, its largest market, by 25% for three weeks due to a significant drop off in bookings since a coronavirus outbreak, the carrier said Monday. The airline said it did not expect the cancellations to have a material impact in its current financial year, which ends on Mar 31, and said it was "far too early to speculate" on the impact of the virus on next year's results. Rivals including BA, easyJet and Wizz have already announced cancellations in the wake of disruption from the outbreak, which emerged in China in late December and has spread to more than 50 countries. "We will make sensible cuts to our schedules over the coming weeks to reflect weaker bookings and changing travel patterns," CE Michael O'Leary said. "This is a time for calm." The virus is likely, however, to result in the failure of more European airlines in the coming weeks, he said.<br/>