Ryanair has called on the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan to explain why the country remains closed off to air travel, while criticising "bogus and non-medical fears about the Delta variant in the UK".
The airline said Ireland is "an outlier and lagging behind Europe's recovery" due to continuing restrictions on international travel, calling on Mr Ryan to explain why the State has not begun issuing Digital Green Certificates alongside 18 other EU countries signed-up to the EU's travel initiative.
A statement from Ryanair said Ireland "has had its connectivity destroyed by this Government's mismanagement of the Covid-19 lockdowns and reopening".
The airline also criticise the requirement for passengers flying into the State from Britain to quarantine at home, citing the UK's high vaccination figures.
"Ireland has still failed to roll out the EU Digital Green Cert (which is ready to switch on today) despite the fact that 18 other EU countries are now issuing the Digital Green Cert to their vaccinated citizens.
"Ireland’s Transport Minister continues to delay this urgent initiative while he dithers over how to include negative PCR tests and/or citizens who have contacted Covid but have recovered," the statement added.
'Non-medical fears'
Ryanair chief executive Eddie Wilson said Ireland "continues to delay the recovery of aviation and tourism due to the bogus and non-medical fears about a Delta variant in the UK which is not resistant to vaccine".
Mr Wilson added that it is time for Mr Ryan to "wake up and roll out the EU Digital Cert at least for those Irish citizens who have been double vaccinated", which he claims could be "switched on" today.
He said the allowance for people who have recovered from the virus, or who have proof of a negative PCR test "can be added later".
"It is bizarre and inexplicable that Irish vaccinated citizens are not free to travel without restrictions to/from the EU, even when Ireland has fully vaccinated all of its vulnerable groups, and our Covid case numbers continue to dwindle to nothing," Mr Wilson said.
He called on Mr Ryan to reopen the Common Travel Area with the UK immediately, and begin offering Digital Green Certs "well before July 1st".
