Ryanair Sees Healthy 11% Rise In Passengers In November

Ryanair has revealed its November 2024 passenger traffic results, with the Irish low-cost carrier continuing to increase its passenger numbers year-on-year (YoY).

Steady growth

The low-cost carrier welcomed 13 million passengers in November, an increase of 11% YoY. Meanwhile, its average load factors were 92%, which was flat YoY. The 12-month rolling passenger numbers increased by 8% to 196.1 million, with load factors also staying flat at 94%.

Ryanair finished December 2023 with 12.5 million passengers, growing its traffic by 9% YoY. At the end of the month, the carrier’s 12-month rolling passenger numbers were 181.8 million.

Data from the aviation analytics company Cirium showed that Ryanair has scheduled 6.4% more flights in December compared to the same month in 2023, showcasing that the airline was prepared to grow its traffic further.

Nevertheless, the winter season has always brought a slight downturn in month-on-month (MoM) traffic. For example, in August, Ryanair, which includes Buzz, Lauda, Malta Air, and Ryanair UK, carried 20.5 million passengers, which the group said was its record month, while in September and October, the low-cost carrier welcomed 17.4 million and 17.1 million passengers, respectively.

Strong demand

On November 4, Ryanair announced its H1 FY2024/2025 results for the six months ending September 30, providing an outlook for the remaining three months of the fiscal year, which coincide with the end of the calendar year.

“Forward bookings suggest that Q3 demand is strong and the decline in pricing appears to be moderating. We remain cautious on Q3’s ave. fare outlook, expecting them to be modestly lower than Q3 prior year (subject to close-in Christmas and New Year bookings).”

Michael O’Leary, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Ryanair, stated that during the first six months of the fiscal period, the low-cost carrier had maintained its load active/yield passive pricing policy, which was why the average fare dropped by 7% YoY. Still, revenue grew slightly, increasing to €5.07 billion ($5.3 billion), or 3% YoY.

Delivery delays

Boeing delivery delays have constrained Ryanair’s ability to grow its capacity. During the same H1 FY2024/2025 results announcement, it detailed that while it had 172 Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 aircraft in its fleet (as of November 4), delivery delays would continue in the near term.

“We now expect our remaining 9 Q3 [FY2024/2025 – ed. note] deliveries to slip into Q4 due to recent Boeing strikes. While we continue to work with Boeing leadership to accelerate aircraft deliveries ahead of peak S.25, the risk of further delivery delays remains high.”

The results were announced just as the 52-day strike by Boeing’s machinists, represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) lodges, namely District Lodge 751 and District W24, had ended.

Ch-aviation data showed that Boeing last delivered an aircraft to Ryanair on October 31. The 737 MAX 8-200, registered as EI-IKN, was ferried from King County International Airport (BFI) to Dublin Airport (DUB).

“We believe it is therefore sensible to moderate Ryanair’s FY26 traffic growth target to 210 [million] passengers (previously 215 [million]) to reflect these delivery delays, as we wish to avoid being over-scheduled, over-crewed, and over costed as we were in S.24.”

The aircraft, which operated its first-ever test flight on August 31, which happened before the strike by Boeing’s machinists, entered service on November 2, according to Flightradar24 records.

Still, the H1 FY2024/2025 results announcement read that Ryanair expects the overall short-haul capacity in Europe to remain constrained for some years. The accelerated removals and inspections of the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engine have impacted many Europe-based Airbus A320neo family aircraft operators.

Furthermore, both aircraft manufacturers are struggling with delivery delays. As a result, the capacity constraints, combined with Ryanair’s widening cost advantage, strong balance sheet, low-cost aircraft orders, and industry-leading operational resilience will facilitate the airline’s profitable growth to 300 million passengers over the next decade.