Summary
- August saw Ryanair carry 20.5 million passengers, showing an 8% increase from the same period in 2023.
- Ryanair recorded an average load factor of 96% on over 111,800 flights in August.
- Despite revenue loss expectations due to Boeing aircraft delivery delays, Ryanair is performing well operationally and financially.
European carrier Ryanair has released its data for the month of August, which saw the airline carry over 20 million passengers throughout the month, which is an 8% increase when compared to the same period in 2023. With over 100,000 flights operated this month and staggeringly high load factors, it is clear that the airline is performing very well, both operationally and financially.
A record month
In terms of passenger numbers,
Ryanair
is the largest airline in Europe, and this has been made evident by the airline revealing that it flew a record 20.5 million passengers during the single month of August this year, an 8% increase from August 2023, when the airline served 18.9 million passengers.
Considering the airline operated more than 111,800 flights during August 2024 and recorded an average load factor of 96% on those flights, it is easy to see how the airline served so many passengers. Furthermore, from the year-to-date data released by the airline, it is clear that August is not the only month so far that has seen a year-on-year increase in passenger numbers.
Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying
|
Passenger Numbers |
Load Factors |
|
|---|---|---|
|
2024 January – August (inclusive) |
192 million |
94% |
|
2023 January – August (inclusive) |
177.4 million |
94% |
|
Change |
+8% |
0% |
Considering the various peaks and troughs in the yearly travel season, recording an average load factor of 94% shows the airline’s position within the European aviation sector and its ability to attract customers with its unmatchable low fares.
Increasing accessibility
To ensure passengers receive Ryanair’s iconic low fares, the airline only sells its tickets on approved Online Travel Agent (OTA) websites. Late last month, the airline announced its low fares will now be available on Travelfusion’s network of OTAs, thus increasing accessibility to the airline’s flights for the general public. This would allow any member within Travelfusion’s network to offer flights with Ryanair on their respective platforms as well.
With this new elevated partnership, members within Travelfusion’s network will gain access to several advantages and gain a competitive edge when it comes to marketing services online.
Photo: Jake Hardiman | Simple Flying
With this partnership, OTAs can now directly connect Ryanair flights with its users, giving them a competitive edge over other OTAs that are not approved to do so. As approved OTAs can potentially gain more customers, Ryanair, on the other hand, can increase the reach of the airline’s flights and services to a broader spectrum of customers.
Expecting a revenue loss
Despite serving record-high passenger numbers and maintaining load factors well north of 90%, the airline earlier this week stated that it is expected to lose over half a billion dollars in revenue this year due to operational disruptions caused by delayed aircraft deliveries from
Boeing
.
Apart from the potential to lose $556.3 million in revenue, the airline is also forced to reconsider its initial passenger forecast of 205 million passengers for the year, as this number was in correlation with the capacity increase expected from all the new aircraft deliveries.
Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying
While the airline expected to receive 17 new aircraft throughout July and August, it only received five in July (instead of seven), and as for the 10 aircraft due in August, the airline stated they would be “lucky” if they got five.
Despite aircraft delivery delays disrupting the airline’s plans and forecasted growth, the airline is performing well with its existing fleet and network.