Ryanair boss says UK government support for aviation just 'PR stunt'

Michael O’Leary has described the UK government’s support for the airline industry during the pandemic as “lamentable”, as aviation leaders called for fresh help and warned of a long recovery ahead. The Ryanair CE said fares would be cut this summer to boost demand and that he hoped for up to 70% of normal passenger numbers from July. O’Leary said vaccines would enable travel, but added that regulations on border controls were “bonkers”. He described hotel quarantine as “completely unpoliceable”, saying the airline had seen no medical evidence to support it. “[It] has been a PR stunt, shambolic and ineffective and plays no role in keeping out the Covid virus,” O’Leary told MPs on the transport select committee on Wednesday. He said he was “not a great supporter in principle of a vaccine passport” because he feared delays in getting international agreement in time for summer, but said passengers should upload certificates saying they have had a vaccine or a PCR test in order to travel. Meanwhile, O’Leary said the Civil Aviation Authority had started “criminal proceedings” against Ryanair for carrying Italian and German passengers to the UK with valid predeparture PCR test certificates written in their own language, rather than the required English, French or Spanish.<br/>