Business

Ryanair passenger traffic increased 5% to 11.1m passengers last month

Airline operated over 63,000 flights in the month and said 800 flights were cancelled due to the Israel and Hamas conflict

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary speaking during a press conference. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Colin Gleeson
Mon Mar 4 2024 - 07:23

Ryanair carried some 11.1 million passengers in January, a 5 per cent increase on the same month last year.

The airline, Europe’s largest by passenger traffic, said it has flown 182.6 million guests on a rolling basis so far in its current financial year, which began in April 2022, a 9 per cent increase year-on-year.

The airline said its load factor – the number of available seats filled by passengers – was unchanged at 92 per cent in February.

It said it operated over 63,000 flights in the month and that 800 flights were cancelled due to the Israel and Hamas conflict.

READ MORE

Ryanair confirmed on Friday it will only receive 40 Boeing Max jets before the end of June rather than the 57 originally anticipated, forcing the airline to reduce flight frequencies across its network.

The airline’s chief executive Michael O’Leary has said this could affect flights to Britain from Dublin this year.

Although the carrier has said it will not axe any routes, it may be forced to reduce daily frequencies to London and provincial centres, such as Manchester and Glasgow.

As a result of the delays, the carrier’s annual passenger forecast will drop to just under 200 million, compared with a previous goal of 205 million for the fiscal full year ending March 2025, according to a statement on Friday.

Ryanair has already put some cutbacks in Dublin as well as in Milan Malpensa and Warsaw Modlin, which Mr O’Leary has said are higher-cost airports.

Boeing was thrown into turmoil in early January after a panel on a 737 Max 9 jet operated by Alaska Airlines blew off shortly after take-off.

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson is an Irish Times reporter

LATEST STORIES