Ryanair gets ready to fly more often in July

LONDON (AP) — Budget airline Ryanair says it will begin operating nearly 1,000 daily flights starting in July, assuming government restrictions on flights within Europe are lifted after the shutdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The carrier, which was Europe's busiest airline before the pandemic, said Tuesday it will restore 90% of its pre-COVID-19 route network, though with less frequency. The airline has been operating with a skeleton schedule since mid-March, with some 30 flights daily between Ireland, the U.K. and Europe.

“After four months, it is time to get Europe flying again so we can reunite friends and families, allow people to return to work and restart Europe’s tourism industry, which provides so many millions of jobs,” Ryanair Chief Executive Eddie Wilson said.

The strategy is not without risk. Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned Tuesday that people were unlikely to be able to go on foreign holidays this summer.

Asked whether “summer was cancelled,” Mr Hancock told ITV: “I think that’s likely to be the case.”

“It is unlikely that big, lavish international holidays are going to be possible for this summer,'' he said. “I just think that’s a reality of life.”

Aviation has been among the hardest hit industries in the pandemic, with aircraft around the world grounded by travel restrictions. Many have cut costs and staff to respond.

The latest example is Belgium’s Brussels Airlines, which on Tuesday unveiled a cost-cutting plan that will result in the reduction of 25% of its workforce.

The Lufthansa subsidiary, which employs 4,000 people, has suspended its flights as a result of the pandemic. The carrier, which also suffered amid the bankruptcy of travel operator Thomas Cook last year, plans to reduce its fleet from 54 to 38...