Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has suggested the army be drafted in to help resolve widespread disruption that has hit airports in recent weeks and months.
The budget airline chief executive told ITV news “defence personnel with experience providing security” should be sent to airports to prevent the lengthy queues and delays that have peaked this week. He has suggested the armed forces' help is needed over the next “three to four months”.
Mr O'Leary said: "Bringing in the army, which they do at many other European airports, would, at a stroke, relieve the pressure on airport security and would mean that people have a much better experience – not just this weekend, but for each weekend over the next three, four months."
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He added: "Army personnel, defence personnel who are good at providing security could relieve the pressure. And that would be something useful that this government could do instead of blaming the airports or the airlines, which doesn't solve anything.
"We are going to have pinch points at the UK airports right through to the end of this summer until the kids go back to school in September. And I believe that the best way of solving these pinch points ... is to deploy military personnel who are security trained and who could relieve the pressure on airport security and if you relieve the pressure in airport security, you get rid of the queues."
The Department for Transport said it had "no plans" to use the army at airports. It added: "It is for operators to ensure airports and airlines are appropriately staffed."
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