Travel updates: Ryanair boss 'confident' that UK will axe quarantine law within weeks
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Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has today said that he expects the Government to soon drop its widely unpopular 14-day quarantine requirement for all those entering the UK.
It comes amid a large uptick in bookings over the weekend to other European destinations which indicates that many customers plan to flout the new rules, set to come in from June 8.
“The UK and Ireland will either quietly drop them or drop them as another easing measure in the next week or two. I am confident of that,” O’Leary said in an interview.
“There will be movement, because people are just going to ignore it. We have seen a big surge in bookings on our flights out of Ireland and the UK to Spain, Portugal and Italy over the weekend, and that seems to be continuing this week.”
O’Leary also said these patterns made him “reasonably confident” that Ryanair's planes would be 50 to 60 per cent full when it resumes about 1,000 daily flights in July. Read our guide on which airlines have announced their return to the skies, when, and to where.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese islands of Madeira and Porto Santo will reopen to international travellers on July 1, it has been announced. Arrivals will have to either present a negative coronavirus test done no more than 72 hours prior to departure or be tested upon arrival, free of charge.
Last summer, our expert Sarah Baxter reported on how 'old-fashioned' Madeira has been reinventing itself as Europe's adventure capital. Soon, it might be worth considering a trip. Here's all our latest advice on visiting Portugal.
And read on to learn more about hotels reopening around the world, from Scotland and Iceland to New York and beyond.
