Ryanair CEO on legal action over UK quarantine rules

Ryanair's CEO claimed on Monday that the a newly imposed 14-day quarantine for overseas travellers coming into the UK was a "political stunt" and said his carrier would follow suit with two rival airlines in taking legal action against the government. In an interview with British broadcaster ITN, Michael O'Leary claimed that the measure, which came into effect on Monday would "cost thousands of jobs" for the country's tourism industry.

O'Leary's Ryanair, Europe's largest low-cost carrier, along with EasyJet and British Airways have written to the British government, expressing their concerns about the new quarantine rule, hoping it would be quashed before further legal proceedings take place.

During Monday's interview, O'Leary claimed that the measure, which was implemented more than two months since the country's lockdown was in place, was only brought in because of the government's "abject failure" to "manage effectively any strategy or any response to the COVID-19 pandemic."

Government figures show that the UK has recorded at least 40,680 COVID-19 related deaths, the highest number in Europe and second in the world behind the US.

Ministers have said that the quarantine measure was adopted based on scientific advice which claimed the measure would be effective when infection rates dropped.

However, O'Leary argued that an overseas passenger could still spread the virus when taking public transport from the airport to their final destination.

Under the new measure, all passengers, bar a handful of exceptions like truckers or medical workers, will be asked to fill in a form detailing where they will self-isolate for two weeks and must give a phone number so authorities can check up on them. The requirement applies regardless whether they are UK citizens or not, and those who fail to comply could be fined.