Ryanair boss suggests bringing in army to end airport travel chaos | Ryanair

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has instructed the military be drafted into UK airports for the subsequent “three to 4 months” to assist resolve the widespread disruption that has peaked over the half-term break.

The airline chief govt stated “defence personnel with expertise offering safety” ought to be deployed at under-pressure transport hubs to forestall the lengthy queues and delays that have plagued passengers this week.

He instructed ITV Information: “Bringing within the military, which they do at many different European airports, would, at a stroke, relieve the strain on airport safety and would imply that individuals have a significantly better expertise – not simply this weekend, however for every weekend over the subsequent three, 4 months.”

O’Leary additionally hit again at claims made by the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, on Wednesday that journey companies have “seriously oversold flights and holidays relative to their capacity to deliver”.

Shapps, who met with aviation leaders on Wednesday afternoon to debate the issues, had additionally stated there ought to be “no repeat” of the disruption vacationers have confronted within the half-term holidays over the summer season months.

O’Leary stated no airline operator “goes to intentionally promote a flight that they will’t crew or function” and that crew shortages typically occurred at very brief discover.

He added: “Military personnel, defence personnel who’re good at offering safety may relieve the strain. And that may be one thing helpful that this authorities may do as an alternative of blaming the airports or the airways, which doesn’t clear up something.

“We’re going to have pinch factors on the UK airports proper by means of to the top of this summer season till the children return to high school in September.

“And I consider that one of the best ways of fixing these pinch factors … is to deploy army personnel who’re safety educated and who may relieve the strain on airport safety and in case you relieve the strain in airport safety, you do away with the queues.”

O’Leary’s feedback come a day after the Liberal Democrats urged the federal government to draft within the armed forces to assist ease strain at hectic airports, ports and roads.

The celebration’s transport spokesperson, Sarah Olney, stated: “The chaotic scenes at airports up and down the nation have been nothing wanting a whole catastrophe … That’s why drafting Britain’s finest and brightest logistics minds from the military to get issues shifting once more is a no brainer.

“Conservative ministers have to get a grip on this chaos on the eleventh hour to save lots of the jubilee weekend. Empowering the military to run level from a command centre would just do that.”

The Division for Transport stated: “Now we have no plans to make use of the military at airports. It’s for operators to make sure airports and airways are appropriately staffed.”