A co-founder of Ryanair says cutting a third of seats on planes would 'not be a solution' for low-cost airlines when they begin to resume services after the COVID-19 crisis.
Declan Ryan - who is now the managing partner of Irelandia Aviation - was speaking ahead of Ryanair's announcement today of plans to cut up to 3,000 jobs as a “direct result of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis.
While most airlines' flights remain grounded for now, companies are continuing to consider how flights may resume in the medium and long-term amid a likely continuing need for social distancing and other public health measures.
Mr Ryan told Taking Stock with Vincent Wall that decisions will have to be made if an aviation industry is to get back-up-and-running again after the current "severe crisis".
He said: "We all know that the distancing area between one seat is very limited... also our models are broken if you go down that route [of limiting seats].
"If the world wants an aviation industry, there's going to have to be some kind of compromise.
"Taking out a third of the seats is not a solution, either for biosecurity or for long-term survival of a lot of airlines.”
Mr Ryan said passengers are likely to see some changes if they do fly over the coming months and potentially years.
He pointed out that fares will have to go up - something which would work against low-cost carriers' model of "high volume and low cost" - and that there's likely to be "loads of consolidation" among existing companies.
However, he also noted that there could be some changes for passengers - beyond additional costs - if they choose to fly.
He said: "I think you will see things like when you do web check-in, that you and your family will make a declaration that nobody in the house has had the virus, or you yourself haven't had that virus.
"We may ask - I'm talking about [the] industry now - we may ask that question again at check-in, or at the gate. There may be temperature measurements, similar to what they did [with] SARs."
Mr Ryan also suggested that short-haul operations are likely to fare better than long-haul - saying he believes people in Ireland will "still make a decision to fly to London" but may reconsider travel on longer-haul routes.
