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(Adds O'Leary interview)
By Natalie Thomas and Kate Holton
LONDON, June 8 (Reuters) - The United Kingdom's coronavirus
quarantine will be struck down by the courts or dropped within
weeks as some of Europe's biggest airlines prepare to file a
legal challenge by the end of Tuesday, Ryanair boss Michael
O'Leary told Reuters.
The 14-day quarantine for international arrivals, introduced
on Monday, has led to the most vociferous clash between a major
industry and Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government during
the COVID-19 crisis.
By insisting on the quarantine despite public pleas from
airline veterans such as IAG's Willie Walsh and O'Leary, Britain
has united some of the fiercest rivals in aviation who are
already reeling from a sudden global halt in air travel.
Ryanair Group Chief Executive Michael O'Leary told Reuters
he hoped a court would hear an emergency legal challenge by the
end of this week to halt the quarantine - imposed just as most
European countries were reopening their economies.
"I think in their heart of hearts, the government would like
the courts to strike it down because it would get them off the
hook," O'Leary said in a Reuters TV interview. "I think either
the courts will strike it down this week or the government will
quietly drop it before the end of June."
He said legal action, proposed by British Airways and
supported by low-cost rivals Ryanair and easyJet, seeking
injunctive relief has a "high likelihood of success." Legal
papers are due to be filed on Monday or Tuesday, he added.
Slow to introduce lockdown measures and with one of the
highest death tolls in the world, at more than 50,000, Britain
argues a quarantine is needed to prevent a second surge of
COVID-19.
The government did not immediately respond to O'Leary's
remarks.
'RUSHED THROUGH'
The quarantine imposes fines of up to 1,000-pounds ($1,270)
for any breaches.
Ryanair, British Airways and easyJet
believe the measure is ineffective as passengers can
still board trains and busses once they leave an airport.
Walsh, the head of BA-owner IAG, told LBC Radio the issue
could be resolved quickly if they could prove it was an
irrational piece of legislation, while EasyJet boss Johan
Lundgren said the three companies had a strong case.
"This is something that has been rushed through. It's not in
proportion," Lundgren told Sky News.
The quarantine will be reviewed every three weeks, the
government has said. Portugal's foreign minister Augusto Santos
Silva has said "air bridges" that allow tourists to travel
between two countries without needing to quarantine are also
being discussed.
O'Leary said Britons were booking outbound flights for
holidays despite the quarantine, but Europeans were not coming
to Britain.
($1 = 0.7895 pounds)
(Additional reporting by Sarah Young and Estelle Shirbon;
editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Jason Neely and Pravin Char)
