Ryanair carried more than 18 million passengers last month, for the first time in its history.
The low-cost airline recorded a total of 18.7 million passengers for July 2023, an 11% increase compared to the same month last year. Its load factor (the percentage of available seats filled) was unchanged at 96%.
During the month, Ryanair operated more than 102,000 flights. It cancelled over 800 flights, mainly due to air traffic control strikes and nationwide strike action in Italy.
Rival carrier Wizz Air also reported strong passenger numbers of just over 6 million for July, up 26.6% compared to July 2022. Wizz Air’s monthly load factor improved to 94.9% from 89.7% a year earlier.
The figures come amid a summer travel boom, with airlines benefiting from pent-up demand after the pandemic and resilient consumer spending on holidays despite the cost of living crisis.
Last week, Ryanair reported after-tax profit of EUR663m for the three months to June compared with EUR170m in the prior year thanks to a strong Easter and the extra UK public holiday in May for the King’s Coronation. Also, last year’s profit was hit by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 which impacted traffic and fares.
Wizz Air is due to report its quarterly results on Thursday.
