Ryanair is expressing disappointment with its recent business performance, which has also affected investor sentiment toward the airline. The stock of the Irish budget airline has fallen by 17% after it released a quarterly earnings report that fell short of expectations. The company’s revenue remained steady at €3.6 billion ($4 billion), similar to last year’s figures, but profits plummeted nearly 50% to €336 million. CEO Michael O’Leary noted that while passenger numbers have increased, the airline is having to exert significant effort to attract customers.
O’Leary mentioned that traffic growth is strong, with a 10% rise translating to 55 million passengers, but stressed that this increase comes with a significant cost. The airline is compelled to continuously lower fares and increase marketing efforts, leading to disappointing outcomes in close-in bookings as the peak travel months approach in July, August, and September.
In addition to facing weaker demand, Ryanair has been grappling with higher labor costs and has pointed to ongoing delivery delays from Boeing as a contributing factor to its challenges. O’Leary has been critical of Boeing’s performance, although he has remained supportive of the manufacturer despite a recent incident involving a 737 Max 9 mid-flight issue.
O’Leary has highlighted that Ryanair’s customers appear to be facing more difficulties compared to earlier in the post-COVID economic recovery, as inflation and slower economic growth in the European Union take their toll. This situation might lead to a strategic advantage for Ryanair in the upcoming periods, despite forecasts of reduced capacity.
“We will have less capacity into summer 2025 than we are originally scheduled to have with our Boeing delivery, and then, we’re into two years of essentially no capacity growth at all,” O’Leary stated. He added that the anticipated pressures on consumers over the next year or so might position the airline more favorably in the market.