Expat Businesses In Spain Give Thumbs Up To Ryanair Plan

Expat hospitality businesses in southern Spain are welcoming Ryanair’s plans for July flights.

Although the low-cost airline’s plans to reopen flights to Spain’s Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca hotspots are being welcomed with open arms by expatriate-owned hospitality sector businesses, others are wondering how the plans will work if many favourite destinations are still under lockdown. Some 40 per cent of Ryanair’s routes are to be re-established, with up to 1,000 flights serving 90 per cent of the airline’s original network.

According to a company spokesperson, the plans are dependent on the lifting of flight restrictions by EU member states as well as on effective public health measures being established at destination airports. All the usual protective measures such as wearing face masks at all times will be mandatory for aircrew as well as passengers, as will practicing social distancing wherever possible and temperature checks at various points in the journey.

In addition, Ryanair is planning to urge passengers to take only the minimal number of bags, use online check-in facilities and download boarding passes onto smartphones. In-flight services will be provided, but must be paid for by card, and those wishing to use toilets will need to get permission first. Passengers travelling in July and August will need to state their destination address and the duration of their trip, with the information passed to EU government officials and used for isolation monitoring where necessary.