Ryanair launches ‘travel wallet’ for passengers to upload vaccine passports and negative Covid tests
RYANAIR has launched a Covid Travel Wallet which will let passengers upload negative tests and vaccine certifications when travelling this summer.
The airline is rolling out the new app ahead of the summer holidays, with a booking boom seeing Brits prepare to travel abroad post-lockdown.
While holidays abroad are still banned, and are unlikely to resume before May 17, countries are pushing for vaccine passports to allow restriction free travel.
Both Spain and Greece have supported the vaccine passport scheme while an app is currently being trialled in the UK.
Ryanair has said they are confident that travel restrictions will be eased from June in time for the school holidays, thanks to the vaccine rollout.
The UK has given the first vaccine jab to more than 20m people across the country, with hopes to have the entire country fully vaccinated by August.
Ryanair’s Director of Marketing, Dara Brady said: "We are very pleased to launch this Ryanair C-19 Travel Wallet as we prepare for the return of family holidays in Summer ‘21.
"Many Ryanair customers will be taking their first holiday in over a year, adhering to new travel guidelines and this C-19 Travel Wallet allows customers to store all of their Covid documents such as PCR test results, passenger locator forms and vaccine certificates in the one location with zero fuss or paperwork to worry about."
He added that the pent up demand will see "families travelling again for well-earned Summer holidays to the beaches of Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece this summer".
Greece wants tourists back as soon as May 14, the country's tourism minister has said, even if they are not vaccinated.
Spain's tourism minister Reyes Maroto has said that the country could start using the vaccine passport in May, when the international tourism fair FITUR is due to take place in Madrid.
The Balearic Islands, which include the Brit-popular holiday destinations of Majorca and Ibiza, have already said they want to be first to welcome foreign tourists back with vaccine passports.
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Cyprus, like Greece, has also jumped on the bandwagon.
The ever popular Mediterranean destination announcing that vaccinated Brits will be able to fly into the island for quarantine-free stays from May 1.
Domestic holidays can go ahead from next month, with some restrictions, while restriction-free trips hope to go ahead from June 21.