Ryanair will offer UK customers 26 new routes to different travel destinations as revealed by their recently released Summer 2021 schedule. The new schedule arrives amongst comments from owner, Michael O’Leary, revealing optimism for high levels of UK international travel in summer 2021.

What’s on offer?

Ryanair’s new schedule should be appealing to UK customers willing to fly this summer. With over 480 routes, Ryanair fliers can escape the UK to European travel destinations such as Naples, Barcelona and Lisbon. That is, of course, if government restrictions permit travellers to do so.

The announcement of services from Belfast City Airport is perhaps the biggest changes revealed by Ryanair. The eight new routes from Belfast are the first services offered in Northern Ireland by Ryanair in 11 years.

The low-cost airline cites the UK’s “way out of COVID” roadmap and the current success of its vaccination programme for its assurance that Summer 2021 holiday travel is still on the cards. Alongside the announcement of the schedule Ryanair owner, Michael O’Leary stated,

“The UK Govt has implemented a very successful vaccine rollout programme and is on track for a re-opening of EU short-haul travel this summer”.

Ryanair’s CEO steps up the optimism

In comments this week, O’Leary appeared extremely optimistic that the summer travel market would pick-up in the coming weeks. The Ryanair CEO dismissed notions of travel hesitance and insisted that holidaymakers will seek to return to the air by June once 80% of the adult population are vaccinated

O’Leary also insisted that this confidence applies to both UK and EU markets, stating that,

“as the Europeans catch up with the UK vaccine rollout success, you’re going to see pent-up demand, particularly through July, August and September.”

However, some critics are sceptical of O’Leary’s optimism. As it stands, according to the UK’s end of lockdown roadmap, international holiday travel will be allowed to resume by May 17th. But some are expecting future travel restrictions, either imposed by the UK or by the governments of potential holiday destinations.

New laws set to come into force on March 29th could mean that travellers are hit with £5000 fines for leaving England without a valid reason. These laws could possibly remain in place up to June 30th. This would admittedly put a spoke in the wheel of O’Leary’s summer plans for Ryanair.