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Ban ‘idiot’ anti-vaxxers from flying, says Ryanair boss

Michael O'Leary - AFP via Getty Images
Michael O'Leary - AFP via Getty Images

Only vaccinated people should be allowed to fly, said Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary said as he launched a blistering attack on “idiot” anti-vaxxers.

The boss of Europe’s biggest airline rejected mandatory Covid jab programmes being rolled out in Austria and Germany, but said authorities should instead “make life difficult” for those who refuse vaccines without good cause.

He told The Telegraph: “I don't think that governments should permit those people who are not vaccinated to go and infect everybody else.

"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.

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

Mr O’Leary doubted whether vaccines could ever be made mandatory. “That is an infringement of your civil liberties. But you simply make life so difficult. Or [make it that] there are lots of things that you can’t do unless you get vaccinated," he added.

The omicron variant has dented airlines’ hopes of a recovery as the reintroduction of travel restrictions sparks a wave of cancellations. Although the curbs could yet be short-lived, the prospect of further restrictions in the future threaten to undermine long-term confidence in flying.

Mr O’Leary, 60, said Ryanair is expecting to fly 1m fewer passengers, a fall of 10pc, during December as a result.

“If there's continuing uncertainty over Christmas on further restrictions or some kind of further restrictions, then January will be weak and the forward bookings in Easter and next summer will be weak - so we just don't know,” he said.

Ryanair planes
Ryanair planes

Mr O’Leary has repeatedly criticised Boris Johnson over his handling of the crisis. Earlier this week Ryanair mocked Downing Street on social media by suggesting the higher the severity of the outbreak, the greater the voracity of work parties at No 10.

“You get promoted around here for upsetting Johnson and his half-witted idiots,” he said.

“What we are struggling with is why there is the kind of a panic in Downing Street that's not being replicated in any other European country. It does seem to be that there's a growing belief that omicron is more transmissible but far less virulent.

“In the UK and to a lesser extent in Ireland, they're just trying to lock everybody down for another two weeks up to Christmas. And then I suspect after Christmas we'll have the news that: ‘Oh, it's not quite as serious as we thought it was.’

“And these restrictions will be removed, but they will effectively have, you know, blocked a lot of people travelling or who are planning to fly over Christmas because they've created huge uncertainty and nervousness.”

Meanwhile, the Irish executive ridiculed anti-vaxxers: “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.”