Ryanair Expects Over 3% Passenger Growth Supported by Early Boeing 737 MAX 8 Deliveries

Ryanair is accelerating pilot recruitment and preparing for the introduction of Boeing 737 Max 10 aircraft in spring 2027, with Boeing expecting to meet delivery schedules. The airline has seen improved aircraft deliveries from Boeing, leading to increased confidence in exceeding passenger growth targets, now forecasting around 207 million passengers for fiscal 2026 and 215 million next year. Despite past delivery delays from Boeing, Ryanair's CFO noted recent improvements in delivery quality and tempo. The airline reported a 42% rise in net profit and a 13% increase in revenues in the first half of the year, attributing growth to strong demand and earlier-than-expected aircraft deliveries. While third-quarter bookings are slightly ahead of last year, Ryanair faces challenges with fare growth due to difficult comparisons and seasonal factors. Management expressed confidence in recovering last year's fare declines and achieving reasonable profit growth, while also managing capacity constraints caused by delayed deliveries in previous periods.