Ryanair beat profit estimates last quarter, as passenger numbers rose.
Its profit after tax was EU€820 million, surpassing analyst estimates of €716 million and the €360 million seen one year ago. Passenger numbers were up 4% year-over-year to reach 57.9 million.
“Total revenue rose 20% to EU€4.34 billion. Scheduled revenue increased 26% to €2.94 billion as traffic grew 4% with 21% higher fares. Q1 fares substantially benefitted from having a full Easter holiday in April, weak prior-year comps and marginally stronger than expected close-in pricing,” said Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary.
Revenue per passenger increased by 15%, with average fares rising by 21% to EU€51. The company’s operating costs rose 5% year-on-year to €3.42 billion.
Ryanair’s diluted earnings per share were EU€0.77, up 144%.
The airline will operate more than 2,600 routes over the Northern Hemisphere’s summer period, O’Leary said, including 160 new routes. Its fleet now includes 181 Boeing 737-8200 aircraft, with 156 delivered over the past year.
Ryanair projects that passenger numbers will grow by 3% to 206 million in the 2026 financial year, with fares set to rise at a lower rate next quarter.
“It remains too early to provide meaningful FY26 PAT [profit after tax] guidance. We do, however, cautiously expect to recover almost all of last year's 7% full-year fare decline, which should lead to reasonable net profit growth in FY26,” said O’Leary.
Ryanair’s (NASDAQ: RYAAY) share price closed at US$59.86, up from its previous close of $56.15. Its market capitalisation is $31.76 billion.
