Ryanair says it expects people from the Republic to use flights from Northern Ireland to go on holiday this summer.
It comes as the European Parliament debates plans for a digital green certificate to allow the safe return of travel.
'We believe that by June, July, August there will be reasonably free movement of people between the UK and the EU.'
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary says it would be difficult for governments to "lock people down" once most have been vaccinated.
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— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 24, 2021
UK Attention Turns To Holidays
With more than half of adults in the UK now having had their first dose of a Covid vaccine.
So attention's turned to when foreign holidays might be allowed.
Ryanair's launching new routes to some European destinations - including 8 from Belfast - starting in May.
And the airline's boss Michael O'Leary thinks people in the Republic might take advantage:
"We think people from the Republic are going to use these flights."
"As a means of escaping to Portugal or Greece and Italy in the early part of the summer."
"While Ireland's vaccine programme lags significantly behind the success of the UK programme."
The European Commission has set out plans for a 'digital green certificate,' that provides proof of vaccination and shows test results for those not yet inoculated https://t.co/GWuYKa1Fcv pic.twitter.com/ZTAR8tmKF2
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 17, 2021
EU Travel Certs Coming Soon
Travel abroad from the Republic still looks some way off - despite EU efforts to develop digital green certificates.
They'll prove someone's either been vaccinated, recently tested negative or have some post-infection immunity.
Paul Hackett, CEO of Click and Go, says it's likely to be a few months before they come into play:
"I think it would be wiser for people to think of the latter part of 2021, rather than the early summer.
"Realistically, travel from September onwards looks more like a possibility than anything before that."
The EU envisages the certs to be used for international travel until the pandemic ends
