Enabling Zero Emission Handling – Further Reducing Co2 Emissions
Ryanair, Europe’s no. 1 airline, has today (27 Oct) launched electric handling at eleven major European airports – Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Mallorca, Seville, Santiago, Valencia, Amsterdam Schipol, Gothenburg-Landvetter and Oslo – enabling zero emission turnarounds. These latest industry-leading developments represent a significant investment in sustainable operations, boost Ryanair’s commitment to reducing its environmental footprint and further pave the way to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Azul Handling, Ryanair’s handling partner in Spain and Portugal, will now be the first carbon neutral handling company in Spain – thanks to a €7.3m investment into e-Quipment, enabling the airline to offer zero emission turnarounds at these eight major Spanish locations. This leads to emission savings of 1,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
As well as its work in Spain, Ryanair’s turnarounds will turn fully electric at Amsterdam Schipol, Gothenburg-Landvetter and Oslo Airport, through a partnership with Menzies Aviation. These turnarounds have been made possible through the airport’s provision of changing infrastructure necessary for electric equipment.
Ryanair understands that aviation has a leading role to play in tackling climate change and is placing an increased emphasis on mitigating how its business impacts the environment. The airline’s recent $22bn investment in new aircraft will help lower its fuel consumption by approx. 16% on a per-seat basis, reduce noise by 40% and these aircraft will carry 4% more passengers. Ryanair is focused on partnering with industry leaders, such as Azul and Menzies Aviation who share its sustainability goals and are supporting Ryanair to align with the Paris Agreement.
Ryanair’s Director of Sustainability, Thomas Fowler, said:
“We are delighted to announce this industry-leading green initiative which represents Ryanair’s commitment to reducing its emissions. The launch of electric handling at 11 of our European airports is a major step in Ryanair’s pathway to net zero emissions by 2050.
The turnaround process incorporates a number of steps and pieces of electric equipment – including electric baggage tractor, electric baggage belt loader, passenger steps, electric ground power, and electric push back tractor which assists the aircraft with exiting the aircraft parking position – and this process is now carried out emission-free at these 11 locations.
At Ryanair we have committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and reducing CO2 emissions per passenger/km by 10% by 2030. That is why we have invested $22bn in new aircraft that will help us reduce our fuel consumption by approx. 16% on a per-seat basis.
We can now offer zero emissions turnarounds at each of those 11 locations when previously, a standard turnaround could emit up to 52kg of CO2. Our partnerships with industry leaders such as Azul and Menzies Aviation are vital to us in achieving our goal of being net carbon neutral by 2050.”
Ryanair, Europe’s largest and greenest airline, today (15 Oct) confirmed it has been forced to cancel 700 flights and three Lisbon routes (to Tours, Oujda and Bari) this Winter due to TAP’s continued hoarding of take-off and landing slots (which TAP does not use) at Lisbon Portela Airport. This anti-competitive “slot blocking” has prevented Ryanair from obtaining sufficient slots (despite the assistance of the slot coordinator and the airport operator), for planned new route growth. TAP’s plan to cut its fleet by 20% means it simply cannot use all the slots it holds.
These cancelled flights will damage Lisbon’s connectivity and post-Covid recovery. The Portuguese Government and the European Commission must now intervene to end TAP’s anti-competitive “slot blocking”, free up this UNUSED capacity at Lisbon Portela and open Lisbon Montijo Airport to allow airlines to grow. It is essential that Portugal’s critical national infrastructure is used to support the local economy and not abused to protect an inefficient zombie airline, which the Portuguese Government has already wasted €3bn of taxpayers’ money on.
Ryanair will keep all seven aircraft (a $700m investment) and crew in place in Lisbon this Winter to ensure it is ready and able to reinstate all flights if sufficient slots are freed up.
Ryanair’s Group CEO, Michael O’Leary, said:
“We deeply regret these unnecessary disruptions to passengers from these cancelled flights and routes caused by TAP’s blocking of slots which it is not using. This anti-competitive slot blocking obstructs the growth of airlines and the recovery of traffic, tourism and jobs at Lisbon Portela Airport, to the detriment of Portuguese consumers.
Ryanair remains committed to working with our airport partner in Lisbon, to support Portugal’s tourism recovery and to rebuild connectivity after the Covid pandemic. We now call on the Portuguese Government and the European Commission to intervene to free up these unused slots at Lisbon Portela Airport and to urgently open Lisbon Montijo Airport.
Ryanair will continue to bring millions of new visitors to and from Portugal, investing in tourism and getting travel back to normal, with the widest choice and lowest fares.”
Three New 737 “Gamechanger” Based Aircraft, $300m Investment & 100 New Jobs
86 Routes (20 New) – Largest Ever Veneto Region Schedule
Ryanair, Europe and Italy’s No.1 airline, today (6th Oct) announced its newest Italian base in Venice Marco Polo with three new Boeing 737 8-200 “Gamechanger” based aircraft, representing an investment of $300m alongside the introduction of 18 new routes (24 total) significantly enhancing Venice’s domestic & international connectivity to 12 European countries from Summer 2022.
Ryanair’s new Venice Marco Polo base will deliver:
- Three new 737 “Gamechanger” based aircraft ($300m investment)
- 100 new direct jobs
- 18 new routes
- 24 routes in total (16 international / 8 domestic)
- Over 160 departing flights per week
Ryanair’s new base at Venice Marco Polo represents our commitment to the Veneto region, where Ryanair has already opened a two aircraft base this year in Venice Treviso (operating 48 routes) and Verona Airport with today’s announcement of 2 new routes to Porto and Palma from Summer 2022. Today’s annocument further demonstrates Ryanair’s ability to rebuild the Veneto region’s tourism industry as we will now operate 86 routes from Summer 2022 at Venice Marco Polo, Venice Treviso and Verona.
With 24 routes to choose from at Venice Marco Polo, passengers can now book a well-deserved summer getaway, flying at the lowest fares to exciting destinations such as Barcelona, Gdańsk, Helsinki, Lisbon, and Stockholm. To celebrate the opening of its new Venice Marco Polo base, Ryanair has launched a seat sale with fares available from just €19.99, which must be booked by midnight Friday, 8th October, only on the Ryanair.com website.
Ryanair’s Director of Commercial, Jason McGuinness, said:
“As Europe and Italy’s largest airline, we are delighted to open our newest Italian base at Venice Marco Polo with three new 737 “Gamechanger” aircraft, further strengthening the long-standing cooperation between Ryanair and the SAVE Group. Today’s announcement of 86 routes (20 new) for the Veneto region demonstrates Ryanair’s ability to rapidly rebuild Italian tourism.
As Ryanair takes delivery of 55 new B737 8-200 ‘Gamechanger’ aircraft this winter, we are delighted to announce that three of these will be based in Venice Marco Polo for Summer 2022, which represents a $300m investment in Venice Marco Polo Airport. These new aircraft will deliver a total of 24 destinations, including 18 new connections and 100 new jobs in an environmentally sustainable manner.
As consumer confidence returns, we call on the Italian Government to scrap the municipal tax for all Italian airports, which is damaging the competitiveness of Italian airports versus their European counterparts. The axing of this tax would facilitate a rapid recovery in Italian air traffic and jobs thanks to Ryanair’s low fares and long-term growth plan.
To celebrate our new Venice Marco Polo base, we are launching an unmissable seat sale, with prices starting from just €19.99 (available until midnight Friday, 8th Oct). A much-deserved getaway is only a click away, so to avoid disappointment, we advise customers to act fast and book directly on www.ryanair.com before these amazing low fares are snapped up!
Camillo Bozzolo, Commercial Director Aviation SAVE Group, said:
“The activation of Ryanair’s new base in Venice strengthens the carrier’s presence in our territory, accelerating the resumption of traffic started at the beginning of June with the opening of the Treviso base. For the SAVE Group, this represents confirmation of the centrality of the airports managed in the development strategies of the main carriers, which will speed up the recovery of pre-pandemic traffic volumes.
Thanks to the 3 aircraft that will be based at Marco Polo, the offer of outgoing destinations aimed at our catchment area will expand, thus connecting more and more niche destinations that will enrich the network of destinations served by the airport.”
Ryanair Holdings plc today (Mon, 4 Oct) released September traffic statistics as follows:
| RYR GROUP |
SEP 2020 |
SEP 2021 |
| TRAFFIC |
5.2m |
10.6m |
| L. FACTOR |
71% |
81% |
| |
GUESTS |
LOAD FACTOR |
| July |
9.3m |
80% |
| August |
11.1m |
82% |
| September |
10.6m |
81% |
Ryanair operated over 69,500 flights in September with an 81% load factor.
New Aircraft, New Bases & Lower Costs, Sees 5 Year Traffic Growth Jump 50% From 150m To 225m Guests P.A.
Ryanair Holdings plc, today (Thurs, 16th Sept) holds its AGM at its Airside Offices in Dublin.
Based on proxy votes already received, Shareholders have approved all resolutions and will receive a detailed update on the Airline Group’s post-Covid recovery plans over the next 5 years. Subject to no adverse Covid developments, and vaccinations remaining at 90%+ across Europe, Ryanair will take delivery of 210 B737 Gamechanger aircraft over the next 5 years. These aircraft will deliver industry lowest costs, reduced emissions, and will enable Ryanair accelerate its post-Covid growth, as opportunities open up at primary and secondary airports all over Europe, particularly where legacy carriers have failed or reduced fleet sizes as a result of Covid and State Aid.
Ryanair Group airlines now expect to deliver more rapid traffic growth over the next 5 years, and have raised their 5 year growth forecast from 33% to 50%. As a result, Ryanair’s pre-Covid traffic of 149m is expected to grow to over 225m guests by March 2026, which is 25m passengers p.a. higher than the previous target of 200m.
Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said:
“The performance of the B737 Gamechanger aircraft this summer has exceeded our expectations. Operational reliability, fuel consumption, and lower CO2 emissions have so far exceeded guidelines with very positive passenger and crew feedback to these new, more fuel efficient, quieter aircraft.
With these new deliveries, Ryanair will open 10 new bases across Europe this year as we work with airport partners to help them recover traffic & jobs post Covid, and take up slot opportunities that are being vacated by competitor airlines who have collapsed or significantly reduced their fleet sizes.
Ryanair expects to create over 5,000 new jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers over the next 5 years, and the Group is excited to have, earlier this week, opened a €50m Aviation Training Centre in Dublin, with 2 further high quality training centres planned for Spain and Poland over the next 5 years.
The Covid-19 pandemic has delivered an unprecedented blow to Europe’s aviation and tourism industries. Only Ryanair has used this crisis to place significantly increased aircraft orders, to expand our airport partnerships, and to secure lower operating costs so that we can pass on even lower fares to our guests, so that together with our airport partners, we can recover strongly from the Covid pandemic and deliver higher than expected growth in both traffic and jobs over the next 5 years.”
5,000 New Pilot And Cabin Crew Jobs To Be Created, Over Next 5 Years As Ryanair Returns To Growth
Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (Tues, 14th Sept) announced a new agreement with Airline Flight Academy (AFA) at the opening of a brand new €50m Aviation Training Centre in Santry, close to Dublin Airport. This new Training and Simulator Centre contains 3 full motion simulators, 1x 737 MAX and 2x Airbus A320, together with 2 fixed base simulators (1x Boeing 737 and 1x Airbus A320). Additionally, this new AFA Centre contains a state of the art cabin crew training and emergency evacuation device, as well as a specialist cabin fire training centre. The AFA Centre contains over 15 large classroom training centres and 5 individual pilot briefing/de-briefing rooms. Access to these new facilities will enable Ryanair to recruit and train over 5,000 new pilots, cabin crew, engineers and ground operations professionals over the next 5 years – jobs which will be necessary for crew to operate Ryanair’s 210 new Boeing 737 Gamechanger aircraft, which will enable Ryanair to grow annual traffic to 200m p.a. by 2026.
Ryanair has chosen Airline Flight Academy to be its exclusive cadet training partner. Under this agreement, Airline Flight Academy will operate and run this new €50m Training Centre, and will play a central role in recruiting the next generation of aviation professionals, including pilots, cabin crew, engineers and ground operations professionals for Ryanair’s next phase of post Covid growth and expansion.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said:
“After what has been an incredibly difficult 18months, today’s announcement is a real vote of confidence in the airline industry as it rebuilds after the pandemic. This €50m investment in a new training centre and the creation of 5,000 jobs across Europe, will mean fantastic opportunities for pilots, cabin crew, engineers and ground ops professionals over the next 5 years. It’s incredible growth and makes me really optimistic for the future. Congratulations to the team involved.”
Ryanair’s CEO Eddie Wilson said:
“We are honoured to welcome Tánaiste Leo Varadkar to the opening of the Airline Flight Academy Training Centre here in Santry. We have invested over €50m in this state-of-the-art Training Centre, and our agreement with AFA will deliver over 5,000 highly trained pilots, cabin crew, engineers and ground operations professionals over the next 5 years. Ryanair will create over 5,000 new jobs thanks to the expansion of our Boeing 737 fleet, with 210 MAX Gamechangers to be delivered over the next 5 years which will enable Ryanair to grow to carry 200m passengers p.a. by 2026.
The AFA team have been a recruitment and training partner of Ryanair for many years, and we look forward to continuing to invest in this agreement, which has to date, enabled Ryanair to recruit and train over 18,000 highly qualified aviation professionals.”
IAA Aviation Regulator / CEO Designate, Diarmuid Ó Conghaile said:
“We welcome the expansion of Ryanair’s training operations. It is another positive sign for the future of aviation in Ireland and the support services required. The investment in a training and simulation centre will create jobs for highly skilled workers, which will benefit the broader Irish aviation sector as it re-bounds from the crisis of the past 18 months.”
Director AFA, Francis Farrell said:
“Airline Flight Academy are honoured to have been selected as Ryanair’s exclusive cadet training partner here in Ireland. We are excited to be chosen to operate and run this new €50m Aviation Training Centre in Santry, and have committed to delivering Ryanair over 5,000 highly trained pilots, cabin crew, engineers, and ground ops professionals using these state of the art facilities in Santry. Ireland has always been a centre for high quality aviation professionals and AFA’s agreement with Ryanair will create 5,000 new jobs, both here in Ireland and across Europe as Ryanair continues to recover and grow post Covid.”
L.F. Rises To 82% As EU Covid Certs Stimulate Recovery
Ryanair Holdings plc today (Thurs, 2 Sept) released August traffic statistics as follows:
| RYR GROUP |
AUG 2020 |
AUG 2021 |
| TRAFFIC |
7.0m |
11.1m |
| L. FACTOR |
73% |
82% |
| |
GUESTS |
LOAD FACTOR |
| July |
9.3m |
80% |
| August |
11.1m |
82% |
Ryanair operated over 71,000 flights in August with an 82% load factor.