Ryanair reports increased passenger numbers amid ongoing aircraft delivery delays

In August, Ryanair and its associated brands carried a record number of passengers at 20.5 million but saw decreases in September and October with figures dropping to 17.4 million and then to 17.1 million respectively.

Despite recent profit drops due to Boeing aircraft delays affecting H1 profits by $1.9 billion, Ryanair remains optimistic about demand for Q3 FY2025: “Forward bookings suggest that Q3 demand is strong and the decline in pricing appears to be moderating.”

CEO Michael O’Leary noted that despite a drop in average fares by 7%, revenue grew slightly to €5.07 billion ($5.3 billion), reflecting an increase of 3%.

However, Boeing delivery delays have limited Ryanair’s capacity expansion efforts as only nine out of the expected deliveries are now anticipated for Q4 due to past strikes: “We now expect our remaining [deliveries]…to slip into Q4 due to recent Boeing strikes.”

Data from Ch-aviation showed that Boeing last delivered an aircraft on October 31 before production disruptions took effect.

In light of these challenges, Ryanair revised its FY26 traffic growth target from an earlier estimate of reaching up to 215 million passengers downwards to accommodate potential delivery issues: “We believe it is therefore sensible...to reflect these delivery delays.”

Despite industry-wide constraints including those affecting European short-haul capacity related to engine inspections and deliveries from major manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing still facing setbacks—Ryanair anticipates continued profitable growth aiming towards handling over three hundred million passengers within ten years.