Travel ban: Epidemiologist says ‘closing borders does not work’

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The budget airline had already cancelled flights to Morocco after the country banned UK tourists. Many countries have reintroduced travel restrictions due to the Omicron variant.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “The impact of these recent Government travel restrictions, in particular last weekend’s ban on UK arrivals into France and Germany, and the suspension of all EU flights to/from Morocco, has lowered Ryanair’s expected December traffic from between 10 to 11 million, to a lower range of nine to 9.5 million.

“In responding to these restrictions, Ryanair has now cut its January capacity by 33 percent, reducing its expected January traffic from approximately 10 million to 6-7 million.”

Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s CEO, has called anti-vaxxers “idiots” in a tirade against people who have chosen not to be vaccinated.

O’Leary said: “If you’re not vaccinated, you shouldn’t be allowed in the hospital, you shouldn’t be allowed to fly, you shouldn’t be allowed on the London Underground, and you shouldn’t be allowed in the local supermarket or your pharmacy either.

“You can sit at home and you know, get your deliveries of medicine and food. But you should not, you know, go to work or go on public transport unless you have a vaccine certificate.”

He had previously said: “We recognise the rights of everybody to decide not to get vaccinated if you so want.

“If you personally object to vaccination, because it’s some huge Government/ big pharma conspiracy, apart from the fact that you would be plainly an idiot, we respect your right to be an idiot.”

Travel restrictions have caused chaos for many British tourists looking to head off on a winter holiday.

Spain has banned unvaccinated British tourists including children over the age of 12 and everyone must wear a face mask outside.

Italy and Greece also require everybody to wear a face mask outside while the Netherlands is in lockdown.

France has banned British tourists from entering the country, a move that forced many British people to cancel ski holidays.

More than 1,500 Christmas flights have been cancelled in the run up to Christmas, primarily in the USA.

The cancellations are due to the surge in Omicron cases globally which has led to staff shortages on several major airlines.

Almost 450 flights were cancelled on Christmas Eve in the USA as staff were forced to isolate.

Popular cruise line, MSC Cruises, has cancelled four sailings from the UK due to pandemic restrictions across Europe.

British tourists are advised to check the latest restrictions on the UK Government website before travelling.

They must take a pre-departure test before travelling back to the UK from a holiday abroad.

They will also need to take a PCR test on or before day two after arrival in the UK and isolate until they test negative.

Britons should also check with their airline before travelling as restrictions can change rapidly.

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