Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has boldly declared his airline as the “official airline of Malta,” saying it has contributed significantly to the country’s tourism growth over the years.  

In an interview, O’Leary celebrates Ryanair’s significant presence in Malta, highlighting a 24% growth in passenger traffic over the past year. It increased from 3.3 million to 4.4 million passengers in 2024. 

This surge in traffic makes Ryanair more than twice the size of KM Malta Airlines, which he says is projected to serve around 1.6 million passengers this year.  

O’Leary attributes this success to Ryanair’s heavy investment in the island, creating hundreds of jobs and driving year-round tourism by maintaining flights outside the peak summer season. 

The Irishman says Ryanair has been beneficial to Malta’s tourism sector, bringing millions of visitors not only during the summer but also during the quieter periods. He stresses the importance of continuing this trend, aiming to expand traffic in the winter months to reduce Malta’s reliance on summer tourism. 

But Ryanair’s ambitions don’t stop there, with plans to potentially double its Malta traffic to 8 million passengers annually by the early 2030s. 

On the broader airline industry, O’Leary notes a change in consumer preferences post-COVID, with pent-up demand driving strong traffic in 2022 and 2023. However, while Ryanair saw 10% growth in 2024, ticket prices were down 5-10% compared to the previous year, offering even better deals to passengers.  

O’Leary expects airfares to rise gradually over the next few years due to constrained aircraft supply, increasing fuel and airport costs, and limited capacity growth across Europe. He projects Ryanair’s average fare to increase from €45 to €50-60 by 2030 but reassures that the airline’s lower-cost structure would allow it to remain competitive compared to higher-priced airlines like Lufthansa and British Airways. 

O’Leary also addresses Ryanair’s long-standing conflict with online travel agencies, accusing some of inflating fares by illegally scraping the airline’s website. He welcomes the progress made with 90% of agents agreeing to transparency but criticises others, particularly Spain’s eDreams, for continuing to overcharge passengers. 

O’Leary also criticises European air traffic control and urges reforms to protect overflights during national strikes while ensuring fully staffed ATC services. He argues that such changes could eliminate up to 90% of flight delays, improving air travel across the continent. Despite this, O’Leary says he is confident in Ryanair’s future, expecting continued growth in both passenger numbers and influence.

The following is an excerpt from the interview. 

Watch the full interview also on Facebook and Spotify.

A year ago, you described Ryanair as the unofficial airline of Malta. Do you still consider it so today? 

No; I now believe we are the official airline of Malta. Over the past 12 months, we’ve increased our traffic to and from the island by 24%, growing from 3.3 million passengers to 4.4 million in 2024. We’re making significant investments here, creating hundreds of jobs, but more importantly, we’re bringing millions of new visitors to Malta – not just during the peak summer season, but year-round. Ryanair is now more than twice the size of Air Malta [KM Airlines], which will handle around 1.6 million passengers this year. We’ll carry 4.4 million, and we aim to double that in the next decade.

What are your thoughts on the air traffic control (ATC) disruptions this year, which have caused challenges for the European aviation industry? What solutions could mitigate these issues? 

There are two straightforward solutions. First, the European Commission should mandate that overflights be protected during national ATC strikes. We don’t need French air traffic controllers to manage flights passing over France. Yet, when French ATC goes on strike, they cancel overflights to prioritise local French flights. That’s unfair in a European single market. French controllers should have the right to strike, but the cancellations should impact domestic flights, not those flying from, say, Malta to the UK or Ireland to Spain. 

Second, we need fully staffed ATC services. This year, we’re paying 21% more in ATC fees than pre-COVID, but countries like Spain, Italy, and Greece still suffer from staffing shortages, especially for early morning flights. When the first wave of departures gets delayed due to understaffing, it’s nearly impossible to keep flights on schedule for the rest of the day. We want properly staffed ATC rosters and protections for overflights during strikes, like those already in place in Spain, Italy, and Greece. The French and Germans need to follow suit. Ursula von der Leyen has said she will prioritise competitiveness in the new Commission – fixing ATC should be part of that. If we eliminate ATC issues, we could remove 90% of flight delays across Europe, drastically improving the flying experience.

There’s been talk of over-tourism in major European cities. Do you think these efforts to curb it could negatively impact Ryanair and other budget airlines? 

Most protests, like those in Barcelona, are actually about the scarcity of accommodation caused by platforms like Airbnb, not tourism itself. These cities are still eager to welcome visitors, but they want tourists who stay longer. In Venice, for example, the frustration is mainly with large cruise ships that drop visitors into the city for just a few hours, giving little back to the local economy. 

Cities want visitors year-round, not just during the peak summer months. Governments need to address the housing issues caused by Airbnb, which drives up prices for locals. People working in tourism or who grew up in these cities should be able to afford housing. A solution could be to impose higher taxes on Airbnb stays. Hotels already charge a tourism tax in cities like Malta, Venice, or Barcelona, so Airbnb guests should contribute similarly to support local infrastructure.

What is your outlook on the future of budget airlines? 

There’s only one budget airline in Europe, and that’s Ryanair. The other airlines charge much higher fares and can’t compete with us. The future looks bright for Ryanair. Over the next decade, we plan to receive 350 new aircraft from Boeing, which will allow us to grow our annual traffic from 200 million passengers to about 300 million. In Malta, we aim to grow from 4.4 million passengers a year to 8 million by the early 2030s. 

With more leisure time, flexible work arrangements, and rising incomes, people want to travel more, and Ryanair helps make that possible. We’re also fighting to maintain not just the freedom of movement within the EU, but the freedom to travel affordably, which is key to our mission.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *