EasyJet vs Ryanair: Comparing Europe’s leading low-cost airline fleets

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EasyJet vs Ryanair: Comparing Europe’s leading low-cost airline fleets

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Ryanair and easyJet | Simple Flying

By Sky Industry News

May 26, 2025

Ryanair and easyJet, two of Europe's leading low-cost carriers, continue to compete not only in passenger numbers but also in fleet age. Both airlines operate narrowbody aircraft to keep costs low, with Ryanair focusing on the Boeing 737 family and easyJet utilizing the Airbus A320 family.

Ryanair, founded in 1985, has its hubs at Dublin Airport, London Stansted Airport, and Milan Bergamo Airport. It operates a fleet of 620 aircraft with an average age of 10 years. This includes 410 Boeing 737-800s averaging 12.8 years old and 181 newer Boeing 737 MAX 8s with an average age of just 2.6 years.

In contrast, easyJet was established in 1995 and is based at London Luton Airport. Its fleet comprises around 365 aircraft with an average age of 10.5 years. The airline operates entirely with Airbus A320-family aircraft including older models like the A319-100 averaging at 16.6 years and newer ones like the A320neo at just four years old.

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Both airlines have ambitious plans for expansion through significant orders for new-generation aircraft aimed at improving fuel efficiency and capacity while reducing noise emissions. Ryanair is investing approximately $22 billion in purchasing new Boeing MAX variants while easyJet has firm orders for current-generation Airbus aircraft totaling nearly three hundred.

Despite their differences in fleet composition, both carriers are pivotal players in Europe's aviation market growth as seen by their respective seat capacities reported by OAG: Ryanair leads with twenty million seats followed by easyJet's nine point five million seats as of May 2025.

The trend towards younger fleets reflects a broader industry shift towards modernizing fleets to meet environmental targets and customer expectations for more efficient travel options amidst rising competition from other low-cost carriers such as Wizz Air UK which boasts one of the youngest fleets globally.