Ryanair breaks record and transports more than 18 million passengers in July

Ryanair has reached a new record for the number of passengers carried in just one month, with 18.7 million in July, 11% more than in the same month of last year. The Irish low-cost airline said in a press release that its planes were running at 96% occupancy in the month of July, which is equivalent to pre-pandemic levels.

Last month they operated 102,000 flights to its national and European destinations, which could have been more if 800 had not been cancelled due to air traffic control strikes and the general strikes in Italy at the start of the summer, in a year of full recovery for the tourism sector.

In addition, Belgian Ryanair pilots have intensified their protests recently, forcing the cancellation of around 100 flights at the end of July due to strikes, which affected some connections with Spanish cities.

So far this year, Ryanair have transported 175.3 million passengers between its destinations, 23% more than in the same period last year with occupancy levels of 94% over the first seven months of the year, seven percentage points more than in the same period of 2022.

Ryanair expects continued growth for the rest of the year of around 9% for its full-year financial results in March 2024, growing its passenger levels to roughly 183.5 million. Its full-year estimate was revised down from the initially predicted 185 million passengers in July amid prolonged Boeing delivery delays through spring and autumn, with fares growing by a "low double-digit percentage," according to CEO Michael O'Leary.

Q1, running April to June, has already proven profitable for the Irish airline, reporting profits of €663 million amid a strong Easter travel season and an extra UK bank holiday in May.

August is set to be an equally busy month with them operating over 3,200 flights on peak days. Poor weather hanging over the UK and Ireland may also contribute towards a surge in last-minute bookings as holidaymakers seek sunnier climates.

Almost 200 new routes have been added to Ryanair's network over the past several months, including from new bases in Belfast (BFS), Lanzarote (ACE), and Tenerife (TFS).