Page 9 - World Airnews Magazine December 2020

AIRLINES

RYANAIR EXPECTS BOUNCE

BACK IN 2021

need to be there to provide the capacity world-class test-and-trace system had been
at low prices.” “utter vacuous rubbish” and questioned

ir passenger numbers should Ryanair has cut capacity for winter, but the approach now being taken by the UK
Abounce back to near normal not yet as drastically as its rival easyJet. government’s global task force in develop-

levels by next summer, defying industry O’Leary said, “I’ve heard a lot of rubbish ing a new testing regime for arrivals.

predictions that it could take years for coming from legacy airlines that it’ll be “Airport testing is a complete waste of

growth to return after the pandemic. 2035 till the volumes come back. Rubbish. time … it’s too late, it takes too long, what

That’s according to airline chief execu- Volumes will go back in 2021 or 2022 pretty do you do in a terminal when you have

tive Michael O’Leary who has predicated quickly - they will go back because Ryanair positive tests?”

passenger volumes should reach 75-80% of will discount prices, hotels will discount.” Ryanair supported pre-departure testing,

pre-COVID-19 levels in 2021, especially if a The travel industry organisation Abta said O’Leary said, to restart flying. “Testing

vaccine was available in the coming months. some firms had reported bookings for next should not be at airports, people should

While he admitted winter was a “write- summer since the recent announcement of be coming to airports with a negative test.

off”, he said Ryanair was poised “at the a vaccine by Pfizer, while more were receiv- Certainly within Europe, short-haul should

dawn of an extraordinary era of growth” ing inquiries from would-be holidaymakers. be restarting quickly.”

with a fleet of new planes arriving and was An online travel platform said more O’Leary said he had been busy negoti-

emerging from the pandemic with a strong people had searched for holidays since the ating new airport slots around Europe for

balance sheet, in a position to offer low vaccine news but there had not yet been a after the pandemic. “Airports are realising

fares to stimulate travel. notable impact on bookings. that a lot of Lufthansa’s capacity is not

Speaking at the World Travel Market con- A spokeswoman said the vaccine news coming back . They want to deal with an

ference, O’Leary said he was optimistic that would “go some way to restoring consum- airline that is rapid and flexible. What

Covid vaccines would be rolled out before er confidence” but the industry needed we’ve done is been keeping all our planes,
the peak summer season in 2021. government support now “as many travel pilots and crew current, so we can pounce
“There’s going to be an enormous snap- companies will not be able to wait for the on growth.”

back on travel demand … Mrs O’Leary is full roll out of a vaccine”. Ryanair’s fleet should be augmented by

very keen to go back to the Algarve and I O’Leary criticised government “incom- the first deliveries of Boeing 737 Max planes,

suspect she’d be there in 2.5 nanoseconds petence”, particularly in the UK but across O’Leary said, anticipating European regula-

after the coronavirus restrictions are lifted. Europe, in addressing the pandemic. tory approval of the model in January.

I think she’s reflective of the overwhelming He said, “What was disturbing is the way He dismissed concerns over the safety

majority of Europe’s population, and they the government mishandled that first lock- of the plane, which was grounded after

will go back,” O’Leary said. down … it should have given time to put in two fatal crashes. “It will be the most

“We’re going to see a surge of that place mass testing.” audited, the most interrogated, safest

intra-European tourism next year, and we He said Boris Johnson’s promise of a aircraft ever to fly.” Q
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