Record month: Ryanair carried 1.3 million more passengers than ever before

Budget carrier Ryanair carried more than 18.7 million passengers in July, breaking the previous monthly record set in June. Overall, the company broke its record.

Simple Flying reports that the company achieved the record despite strikes in Italy and Belgium. Ryanair now expects growth of around 9% and plans to carry 183.5 million passengers by March 2024.

More than 102,000 flights were operated during the busy month, around 800 of which were cancelled due to strikes in Belgium, Italy, and European air traffic control provider Eurocontrol. Load factor remained stable at 96%, two percentage points above the average since the beginning of the year.

For the second half of the year, Ryanair expects to continue to grow its full-year financial results in March 2024 by around 9%, taking passenger numbers to around 183.5 million.

CEO Michael O'Leary said the full-year estimate was revised downward from an originally projected 185 million passengers in July amid long delays in Boeing deliveries in the spring and fall and fares rising by a "low double-digit percentage."

The first quarter, running from April through June, has already proved profitable for the Irish budget giant, reporting a profit of 663 million euros ($725 million) on the back of a strong Easter travel season and an extra weekend in the United Kingdom in May.

By the way, nearly 200 new routes have been added to Ryanair's network over the past few months, including ones from new bases in Belfast, Lanzarote, and Tenerife. More destinations will be added in the winter as Ryanair expands its presence in the Albanian travel market.