Ryanair invests in new jets, forecasts ‘return to normal’

Flights completed in 2020

Ryanair                                              207,300

Turkish Airlines                               145,700

Aeroflot Russian Airlines              135,900

Lufthansa                                          124,300

Air France                                          118,300

Ryanair was the largest airline in Europe in terms of the number of flights in 2020. According to a report released on Monday by research firm Cirium, the airline completed 207,300 flights, well ahead of EasyJet and Wizz Air.

Ryanair forecasts that “life will return to normal after multiple vaccines are rolled out in 2021. This will incentivise Europe’s consumers and its travel industry next year,” the airline said in a statement announcing new jet purchases.

The airline has a positive outlook for the new year, and has completed new jet orders.

On December 3, Ryanair signed a purchase agreement with Boeing for 75 new MAX-8200 aircraft, which increases its firm order for the Boeing “Gamechanger” aircraft from 135 to 210, with a total value of over $22 billion, the airline said in a statement.

“Now that the Boeing MAX aircraft has been certified by the FAA to return to service, Ryanair expects to take the first deliveries of these new fuel efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft from early 2021, and has confirmed 210 firm orders with Boeing for these gamechanger aircraft, which will be delivered over a 4-year period between Spring 2021 and December 2024,” the statement said.

“The principal operating divisions of Eurowings, Ryanair, EasyJet, Vueling Airlines and Wizz Air have collectively clawed their way back to fly more than 50 per cent of 2019’s level of scheduled flights on peak days during August.

But as of November 30, this figure had sunk back to less than 13 per cent. Total daily flights by all European operators have declined by more 6,500 since the end of August on a seven-day average basis, to below 4,200 on November 30,” the report  from Cirium shows.

Ryanair has seen the number of passengers decrease by more than one hundred million in 2020 compared with 2019. The largest European low-cost carrier welcomed 52.1 million passengers last year, compared with  152.4 million a year earlier. That is a reduction of 66 per cent.

Ryanair started 2020 with excellent numbers for completed flights. In January and February, the company transported more than 21 million passengers. In February there was even passenger growth of nine per cent.

In March, the corona crisis erupted, and the number of travellers halved. Air traffic largely came to a standstill in April and May, with Ryanair transporting only some 110,000 passengers in a period of just two months.