National flag of Ireland flies over the residence of the President, before the arrival of Pope Francis, in Dublin, Ireland, 25 August 2018. REUTERS / Dylan Martinez
DUBLIN (Reuters) – Former Ryanair chief operating officer Michael Cawley has been sacked after going on holiday to Italy on Saturday, contrary to government advice on non-essential travel to occur abroad.
Cawley, a Ryanair director who also served as chief financial officer and deputy CEO at the airline, opposed calls from opposition parties to quit after confirming to the Irish newspaper on Saturday that he was on holiday in Italy.
Cawley is the first senior official in Ireland to be fired for flouting coronavirus treatment. Scotland’s chief medical officer resigned in April after ignoring her own advice to stay home during her COVID-19 lockdown.
Italy is one of 10 countries on the government’s green list, which means that anyone arriving in Ireland can avoid a 14-day quarantine requirement that applies to travelers from anywhere else.
However, official travel advice since the outbreak of coronavirus from Ireland in February began that non-essential trips abroad should be avoided and people are encouraged to go home on holiday to support the tough tourism sector.
Failed Ireland, the authority for tourism development, has provided additional funding for domestic tourism.
Cawley said in a statement that he had decided to resign because he did not want to allow the problem to deviate from Failte Ireland’s work in revamping the Irish tourism sector.
Tourism Minister Catherine Martin said she was disappointed to learn that Cawley was on holiday in Italy and believed his position was untenable.
Report by Padraic Halpin; Edited by Christina Fincher
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