Ryanair has said it expects that most of its flights will be grounded from today amid the coronavirus crisis.
“The experience in China suggests a three-month period for the spread of the virus to be contained and reduced. We do not expect to operate flights during the months of April and May at this time, but this will clearly depend on government advice”, the company tweeted.
Ryanair also said that it has offered its planes to all EU governments, for rescue flights, as well as for the movement of vital medicines, personal protective equipment and emergency food supplies. It stressed that the planes used for the purpose will be disinfected on a daily basis.
The airline said that the passengers whose flights have been cancelled will receive an email “over the next week or two” outlining their options, and asked passengers “to be patient and bear with us”.
Ryanair’s CEO Micheal O’Leary reminded that, like all pandemics, this crisis will pass: “In Ryanair, Buzz, Lauda and Air Malta, we will do everything we can to keep our aircraft, our crews and our engineering teams operational so that when Europe defeats this Covid-19 pandemic, we are ready to return to flying”, O’Leary said.
Ryanair expected to halt all flights in April and May
EPA/ROBIN TOWNSEND
A file photo dated 11 August 2008 showing two planes of Irish low-cost air company Ryanair in Girona airport, Catalonia, northeastern Spain. Irish budget carrier Ryanair revised upward its full-year profit forecast 02 February 2015, citing lower fuel costs and higher passenger numbers. This is the fourth time the no-frills airline has upped its profit outlook for the fiscal year, which ends in March. Ryanair, which this year marks the 30th anniversary of its founding, now expects to earn 840 million euros to 850 million euros (951 million dollars to 962 million dollars) in annual profit. In May, it had estimated profit at 580 million to 620 million euros. The fall in oil prices is expected to contribute to a 5-per-cent reduction in costs, Ryanair said.
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