Irish holidaymakers jetting off to sunnier climes could no longer be required to wear masks on Ryanair flights as soon as next month.
The budget airline is planning to drop the face-covering requirement by the end of April or in May.
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said on Wednesday he hopes to see passengers travelling mask-free this spring.
It comes after airline Jet2 announced that customers in the UK will no longer be required to wear masks on board.
A Jet2 spokesman said: "It is no longer a legal requirement to wear a face mask in England and Northern Ireland, including at our airports or on board our aircraft.
"However, as per UK Government guidance, we recommend that customers continue to wear a face mask in these spaces, and we remind customers that they will need to wear one when they get to their overseas destination."
Ryanair flew 8.7 million people to destinations across Europe in February.
Mr O'Leary also warned that customers can face higher fares this summer because of soaring oil prices and the impact of Covid-19.
Prices will be "materially higher" as the impact of the Ukraine crisis on oil prices was "steep and severe".
He added that fares would be 10% to 15% higher than prices in pre-Covid times for the peak months of June, July, August and September.
Additionally, short-haul capacity could be reduced by 10% this summer, therefore pushing prices higher, he said.
"I think you're going to see families returning to the beaches of Europe this year," he told reporters, indicating that he expects demand to rise in the coming months.
