Michael O’Leary has called on transport secretary Grant Shapps to abolish travel restrictions for everyone who has had two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, and to open up travel from all EU countries in the next revision of the UK government’s green list, expected in the coming days.
He also wants the government to scrap the “nonsensical” requirement to present a negative PCR test when coming back to the UK from EU countries on the green list.
The Ryanair chief said: “The highly successful UK vaccine rollout has already enabled hundreds and thousands of British families to book their flights to Portugal this summer.
"Today (1 June), we call on Grant Shapps to include all EU countries in the next revision of the UK’s green list so UK holidaymakers can travel restriction-free to the beaches of Spain, Greece and Italy – all of whom have opened their doors to British visitors this summer.”
European holiday hotspots like Spain, Greece and Italy have opened their doors to UK tourists, with 75% of the adult population having received their first jab 75%. The EU is aiming to hit 70% by the end of June.
“There is no justification for the government to delay the removal of all travel restrictions for those who have been fully vaccinated when research from Public Health England has demonstrated that two doses are highly effective against the Indian variant,” Mr O’Leary added.
“The government must scrap the nonsensical requirement of PCR tests for those returning from low-risk countries. There is no point in setting up a traffic light system if ‘green’ still requires additional measures that significantly add to the cost of a family trip.”
Despite mixed messages from the government on amber list travel, Ryanair claims hundreds of thousands of UK holidaymakers are already booked to sunshine favourites Spain, Italy and the Greek islands for June, July and August.
The government is continuing to advise people not to travel to amber list destinations for leisure purposes.
