Strong bookings keep Ryanair on course to hit targets, says CEO

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The Irish airline last month said it expected to fly between 90 million and 100 million people in the 12 months to the end of March 2022, against a peak of 149 million before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ryanair is recovering strongly, much faster than other any airline in Europe … Bookings are increasing very rapidly,” O’Leary told a news conference in Lisbon on Tuesday.

After flying 5 million passengers in June, representing a third of 2019 levels, numbers soared to 9.3 million in July and are expected to reach about 10.5 million in August, he added.

Ryanair shares rose 2.5% to 16.49 euros in early trading.

“Bookings for the remainder of this year, through September, October, November are looking very strong, but pricing is weak … We are selling a lot of cheap seats to recover the market very quickly,” O’Leary said.