Ryanair flies a record 18.7m passengers in July

Ryanair flew almost 19 million passengers in July, setting a new monthly record for the Irish airline.

The group, Europe’s biggest carrier, said on Wednesday that 18.7 million passengers travelled with it in July, 11 per cent more than the 16.8 million it reported for the same month last year.

Ryanair said it was the first time the airline had carried more than 18 million people in a single month. The airline sold 96 per cent of the seats on its aircraft during the month, the same proportion as in July 2022.

Ryanair increased the number of jets in its fleet in advance of what the entire travel industry expected to be a busy summer.

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The figures show that the airline has flown 175.3 million passengers over the 12 months to the end of July. This was 23 per cent more than the 142 million who travelled with the airline in the 12 months to end-July 2022, a period partly marred by Covid travel restrictions.

The airline expects to carry a total of 183.5 million passengers in its current financial year, which ends on March 31st, 2024.

Demand for travel remains strong across Europe, but a squeeze on the supply of aircraft and many airlines’ decision to limit capacity have pushed up fares.

Meanwhile, more than half a million people will travel through Cork and Dublin airports over the August Bank Holiday, one of the summer’s busiest weekends for travel.

Dublin expects about 463,000 people to travel, with Sunday its busiest day when slightly fewer than 119,000 passengers will arrive and depart there. The airport is advising people to arrive two hours ahead of short-haul flights and three hours before longer flights are scheduled to take off.

Cork Airport expects to handle more than 62,000 passengers this weekend, 17 per cent more than during last year’s August Bank Holiday. Niall McCarthy, the airport’s managing director, cautioned that people should arrive at least 90 minutes before their flights.

Graeme McQueen, Dublin Airport’s media relations manager, noted that Irish people were bidding to escape miserable weather, while the English and Scottish football season kick-offs were also luring travellers.

“We’re seeing record numbers seeking to swap the umbrellas in their hands for umbrellas in their cocktails on the beach by jumping on a flight to the likes of Spain, Portugal, France and Italy,” he said.