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Holiday bookings DOUBLE in a week as Brits hope to travel abroad by next month – despite UK quarantine

HOLIDAY bookings abroad have doubled in the past week as airlines ramp up flights from next month.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary claimed bookings have increased 100 per cent in July and August after relaunching flights to Europe.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary claims bookings have doubled over the last weekend
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Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary claims bookings have doubled over the last weekendCredit: EPA

While the UK government still warns against non-essential travel abroad, the strict measures are expected to be relaxed in upcoming days, The Sun can reveal.

If so, this means a holiday abroad could happen as soon as next month.

Mr O'Leary told The Times: "Our bookings doubled this weekend compared with the previous weekend, mainly with UK families booking holidays to go to the Canaries, the Algarve, the Balearics, Malaga and Italy."

The low-cost airline is launching 1,000 flights from July to tourist hotspots in Europe, after the fleet was grounded earlier this year.

His comments come following the introduction of a 14-day quarantine on all inbound UK travellers, which starts from today.

Holiday bookings to European hotspots are on the up - despite the UK travel ban still in place
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Holiday bookings to European hotspots are on the up - despite the UK travel ban still in placeCredit: Alamy

He previously added to Radio 4's Today programme: "We are seeing thousands of British families booking their two-week holiday, because they themselves expect they won't be affected by the quarantine when they return home. 

"Our bookings for July and August are running at around 50 per cent of where they would normally be at this time of the year.

"So we're looking at something like a 50 per cent load factor compared to a normal July and August where we'd be looking at 90 - 95 per cent.

"I think the outbound holiday season will be fine - we've seen British families over the last two weeks book holidays abroad in Portugal, Spain, etc in their thousands."

He said in an interview with GMB: "Ryanair is going to carry millions of families in July and August."

We've seen British families over the last two weeks book holidays abroad in Portugal, Spain, etc in their thousands

Michael O'Leary, Ryanair CEO

Desperate travel firms have also slashed prices on holidays starting as early as next month, with more deals expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Until the government guidelines are lifted, however, Brits risk being stranded abroad and with invalid travel insurance should anything change at the last minute.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News: that he "really hopes" people will be able to fly this summer, but it has to be approached "with caution".

He continued: "We’re bringing in the quarantine policy again because as the number of new infections comes down, so the proportion of infections that come from abroad increases, simply because the number of new infections domestically is coming right down."

Mr Hancock previously warned that summer holidays abroad were out of the question, stating last month: "I think it’s unlikely that big lavish international holidays are going to be possible for this summer."

He backtracked later that month, adding: "I am a little bit more optimistic than I was about being able to get some foreign travel back up.

"You know [...] I absolutely wouldn't rule it out."

MP Kit Malthouse told Sky News earlier today that trips abroad this summer may have to be scrapped, saying: "If that means this summer we have to go without an overseas holiday, then that's a sacrifice we're willing to make."

Health Secretary 'really hopes' for summer holidays abroad despite UK travel ban still in place
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