Ryanair says it cannot rule out a full grounding of its planes

A full grounding of Ryanair planes cannot be ruled out by the airline.

The carrier says the majority of its fleet will be grounded across Europe over the next 7 to 10 days. 

While Ryanair says it expects to reduce seat capacity by up to 80 per cent for April and May.

Irish Independent travel editor Pol O Conghaile says any flights that are cancelled will be refunded.

"If the airline cancels your flight you're entitled to a refund or a re-booking at no extra charge to you. The airline should have made contact with you already if that flight is indeed booked.

"There's some confusion out there if a travel ban, or advice to avoid non essential travel, is now in place to a destination, for example Spain. In some cases flights may already be running so you may still be able to get home".