Ryanair is encouraging holiday-hungry travellers to book their summer holidays now with the promise that vaccines against the COVID-19 virus will reopen borders by the middle of 2021. A new television campaign tells travellers to “jab and go!”, suggesting that Ryanair believes vaccination against the novel Coronavirus will be a pre-requisite to fly as travel restrictions are slowly eased.
So far, only one airline has openly said it will demand proof of vaccination to transport people on international flights. Australian flag carrier Qantas came in for criticism when it proposed a ‘no jab, no fly’ policy but chief executive Alan Joyce doubled down on the policy, saying anti-vaxxers will have to find another airline to fly with if they don’t want to have a vaccine to protect them (and potentially others) from COVID-19.
Many airlines, however, are still sitting on the fence on whether vaccination should be a pre-condition of travel, although Delta chief executive Ed Bastian believes proof of vaccination may well be needed for long-haul international services.
Despite multiple vaccines now being rolled out around the world, no country has yet ruled that travellers will be needed to be vaccinated in order to be allowed entry. Countries and territories like Australia and New Zealand, as well as Hong Kong are most likely to impose conditions that include mandatory vaccination.
The aviation industry is currently working on a number of initiatives to verify a passenger’s vaccination status, including hi-tech digital passports that can securely record vaccine records as well as the status of pre or post travel COVID testing.
Unfortunately, there’s not yet any internationally agreed standard and it’s not known whether some countries might only accept certain vaccines like the Pfizer / BionTech jab that has an efficacy rate of around 90 per cent.
“As soon as the COVID-19 virus recedes – and it will in 2021 with the rollout of multiple effective vaccines – Ryanair and our partner airports across Europe will… rapidly restore flights and schedules, recover lost traffic and help the nations of Europe recover their tourism industry, and get young people back to work across the cities, beaches, and ski resorts of the EU,” commented Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary earlier this month.
So confident is O’Leary, in fact, that Ryanair recently signed an order for an additional 75 Boeing 737 MAX-8200 aircraft bringing the airline’s total order for the “gamechanger” planes to 210.
Ryanair should start taking delivery of the planes early next year, although don’t expect the recovery to have got underway in the first few months of 2021. Instead, Ryanair plans to ground older, less fuel-efficient planes until travel demand returns.
Looks like 8 won’t be going abroad. Am I bothered? Am I Hell! No way will I be coersed into taking an unproven safety record and be a Guinea pig for an experimental vacine. Good luck, but I won’t be requiring your services, ever!
No way am I having this experimental new technology untested jab so if they bring in these restrictions I won’t be flying anywhere either. Boy, these airlines have a shock coming with all their millions of lost business because most people I know think exactly the same way as me!
This is an outrageous advertising by Ryanair
We have human rights and living in Free country they should give options to people.
Get rid of the advertising asap and treat human with RESPECT
Wont be flying with ryan air if they force vaccines as a pretext to flying .
Since when did O’Leary become a medical expert claiming that the vaccine will kill off the virus.
Absolute disgrace. Do not jab, do not go and force him and others with their false claims out of business.
Lil secret : viruses are organic chemical structures are Not alive and can’t be ‘killed’. There is No ‘immunity’ to them only developed Resistance to their disease effects and No ‘vaccine’ can ensure recipient won’t be a carrier as the nucleic messenger acids of most are known to ‘nest’ & remain in the body & organs Life-Long.
Wow. Ya. Not flying. Hope your airline biz flops. And how naive to say it’s just “antivaxxers”! I know a lot of people who are not anti vax but are very skeptical of this vaccine as well as believe in freedom of choice and will not be getting it. If we’re going to categorize people, let’s go with smart, critically thinking, level headed people.
How will that work? As I understand it you can’t have the jab privately and have to wait until you are invited to have one. At the present time only over 80s and key workers will be getting it so could be towards the end of the year before the younger generations are likely to get it and that’s assuming everything goes to plan. But I am sure the over 80s with underlying medical conditions will be rushing to fly with Ryanair! 😂
Definitely agree with all of the above, we will definitely not be taking the trial vaccine, and will boycott any airline advocating for passengers to have a vaccine such as this. A massive imposition upon humanity human rights and sensibility, how dare they suggest that all are anti vaxers, this sounds very much like fascism to me.
Thank you for taking the time to contribute. For official advice and information on COVID-19 vaccines, please visit the World Health Organization’s website: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccines
Please be aware that we reserve the right to restrict comments that could spread misinformation. We thank you for your understanding as we seek to share reliable, fact checked information from verified official sources that our readers can rely upon.
I actually support Ryanair’s Advert, which in a fun way, encourages people to get Vaccinated against Covid-19 before flying abroad on their Real Holidays, I have had mine and feel so much more confident in flying out on Holidays as a result.