RYANAIR PERMITE A LOS PASAJEROS LLEVAR UNA “MALETA GRATIS” A BORDO CON UN AMPLIO ESPACIO PARA LAS NECESIDADES DEL VIAJE DE SEMANA SANTA

Ryanair, la aerolínea nº 1 de España, ha desvelado hoy (miércoles, 9 de abril) su mejor consejo para viajar durante las vacaciones de Semana Santa: aprovechar tu “maleta gratis”.

Todos los pasajeros de Ryanair pueden llevar a bordo una maleta gratuita de 40 x 25 x 20 cm (véase la imagen de abajo) totalmente gratis, ofreciendo un equipaje de mano gratuito más que suficiente para todos los pasajeros que viajan con Ryanair. La “maleta gratis” de Ryanair, líder en el sector, tiene el tamaño perfecto para los artículos esenciales de viaje, incluyendo ropa, productos de higiene, ordenador portátil, etc. Todo lo que necesitas para disfrutar de un viaje de Semana Santa relajante con familia y amigos, y cabe perfectamente debajo del asiento de delante, por lo que también es fácilmente accesible durante el vuelo.

Así que no gastes más de lo necesario ni añadas momentos de estrés cargando maletas por el aeropuerto: aprovecha la “maleta gratis” de Ryanair (incluida en todas las tarifas de Ryanair) y disfruta de un viaje económico y tranquilo con la familia y los amigos esta Semana Santa.

Ryanair, ha vuelto a pedir hoy (05 Feb) al ingenuo ministro de Consumo Bustinduy que cumpla con la legislación de la UE y retire sus multas de equipaje ilegales y contrarias a los consumidores, que sólo aumentarán las tarifas aéreas para los consumidores españoles a los que dice “defender”.

Ryanair cree que la Comisión Europea se ha dirigido ya por escrito al Gobierno español subrayando que las multas por el equipaje de mano del ministro Bustinduy infringen la legislación de la UE y las sentencias precedentes del TJCE en el “caso Vueling”.

Michael O’Leary, CEO de Ryanair, ha afirmado:

“El ministro Bustinduy debería suprimir sus multas ilegales por el equipaje de mano. Es evidente que desconoce el Reglamento 1008/2008 de la UE, que garantiza a las compañías aéreas la libertad de fijar las tarifas tan bajas como queramos, y de establecer políticas de equipaje libres de interferencias políticas de un ministro español ingenuo. Quizás el señor Bustinduy debería cumplir la legislación de la UE y la sentencia del tribunal europeo en el “caso Vueling” antes de pedir a Ryanair que cumpla con sus multas ilegales e inventadas sobre el equipaje de mano.

El señor Bustinduy dice defender a los consumidores, pero 60 millones de consumidores españoles eligieron volar con Ryanair el año pasado por nuestras tarifas bajas y todos aceptaron nuestra sencilla política de equipaje de mano gratuito. Esto representa que Ryanair tiene 20 veces más viajeros que los 3 millones que votaron por el señor Bustinduy y su partido Sumar en las elecciones españolas. 20 veces más de españoles apoyan a Ryanair antes que al loco ministro Bustinduy y sus multas ilegales por el equipaje de mano.

Si el señor Bustinduy se preocupara de verdad por los consumidores, suprimiría sus multas ilegales sobre el equipaje de mano y en su lugar tomaría medidas contra las agencias de viajes online (OTA) españolas que siguen cobrando de más a los consumidores con tarifas aéreas infladas y cargos extra ocultos por el equipaje y los asientos. Ryanair sigue luchando por unas tarifas bajas y por los consumidores españoles mientras que Bustinduy incumple la legislación de la UE con sus absurdas e ilegales multas por el equipaje de mano”.

RYANAIR’S 60M SPANISH PASSENGERS IN 2024 SAVED OVER €250M AND DON’T NEED OR WANT BUSTINDUY’S INTERFERENCE IN AGREED BAG POLICIES

Ryanair, today (Thurs, 30 Jan) responded to the false claims of Spanish Minister Pablo Bustinduy, who yesterday claimed that his illegal airline baggage fines of €179m were somehow “defending the rights of consumers in Spain”. These claims are false. These illegal fines, if not overturned, increase flight costs for millions of Spanish consumers.

Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary said:

“This Minister’s first duty is to respect EU law. EU law guarantees all EU airlines the freedom to set prices and policies free from interference by “grand standing Ministers” like Bustinduy. In this case, he has imposed an illegal fine of €179m on the low-fare airlines operating in Spain. These low fare airlines, led by Ryanair, have transformed air travel and tourism in Spain by dramatically lowering air fares for consumers and their families. We can only do this by implementing policies which change passenger behaviour, and encourage passengers to travel with less checked in bags, less carry-on bags, and to encourage those passengers who wish to pay for their preferred seat to do so, while still allowing passengers who don’t care where they sit to avoid any seat fees whatsoever.

This grand standing Minister cannot suddenly overturn this EU law in Spain or tell EU airlines how to set their prices. The immediate impact of this crazy and illegal fine of €179m would be passed onto Spanish passengers in the form of higher fares. We are confident this will not happen because European Union law takes precedence over the unlawful fines levied by this misguided Minister and that Spanish consumers can continue to look forward to enjoying the lowest fares in Europe, thanks to Ryanair and other airlines, free from the political games being played by Pablo Bustinduy. It is typical of these left-wing minority Minitsters that they think they can fine companies without realising that these fines get passed onto consumers, and that is why EU airline pricing law takes priority over the crazy and illegal fines invented by this silly Minister.

If Minister Bustinduy really wants to “defend consumers” in Spain, then why has he failed to take any action against OTAs who are overcharging unsuspecting consumers, or against ATC providers who cause so many avoidable flight delays across Europe every summer? Ryanair carried over 6m consumers on flights to/from and within Spain in 2024. We saved these consumers over €250m compared to the higher fares of competitor airlines and these 60m Ryanair passengers are happy to accept Ryanair’s very clear baggage and seating policies in return for Ryanair’s very low air fares. The last thing Ryanair passengers want is Mr. Bustinduy interfering in, or increasing, Ryanair’s low air fares so he can grandstand with his unlawful bag fines, which are clearly in breach of EU laws.”

PIDE AL MINISTRO QUE RETIRE LAS MULTAS Y RESPETE LA LEGISLACIÓN DE LA UE

Los tratados de la Unión Europea garantizan a las aerolíneas la libertad de operar sin injerencias gubernamentales en sus políticas comerciales. El Reglamento de la UE 1008/2008 otorga a todas las aerolíneas europeas la libertad de fijar precios, incluidos los precios de los servicios opcionales.

La sentencia “Vueling” de 2014 del Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea (TJUE) confirmó que las aerolíneas tienen derecho a cobrar a los pasajeros por transportar su equipaje, siempre que el transporte de los artículos esenciales e indispensables de los pasajeros (es decir, una pequeña bolsa) esté incluido en el precio del billete.

Esta sentencia se emitió en el contexto de los intentos ilegales de la Xunta de Galicia (al igual que las multas ilegales a las maletas de Bustinduy) de obligar a Vueling a transportar gratuitamente todo el equipaje. Ahora, el ministro español Pablo Bustinduy pretende reabrir este caso antiguo, a pesar de que los tribunales de toda Europa y la Comisión Europea coinciden en que la sentencia del Tribunal de Justicia de la UE en el caso «Vueling» confirma que las compañías aéreas tienen derecho a cobrar tasas por el transporte de equipaje facturado y equipaje de mano adicional, además de la franquicia de equipaje de mano incluida en las tarifas básicas.

Michael O’Leary, CEO de Ryanair, ha comentado:

“Ryanair vuelve a pedir al ministro Bustinduy que retire sus multas ilegales por equipaje y permita a las aerolíneas de bajo coste, como Ryanair, seguir disminuyendo las tarifas aéreas en España. El año pasado, Ryanair transportó 60 millones de pasajeros hacia y desde España, que es mucho más que el pequeño número de personas que apoyan a este Ministro equivocado y a sus multas ilegales de equipaje”.

RYANAIR’S LOW FARE FLIGHTS NOW AVAILABLE TO KIWI CUSTOMERS

Following the announcement of their “Approved OTA” partnership in Jan last, Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (Wed, 29^th May) announced that its low fare flights are now available to book as part of Kiwi bookings just in time for the peak Summer holiday season. For Kiwi customers who wish to book Ryanair flights/ancillaries, this exciting new partnership means;

• Customers benefit from Ryanair’s low fares combined with Kiwi’s virtual interlining service.
• Customers receive all flight-related communications directly from Ryanair, including T&Cs and important flight updates.
• Customers have direct access to their myRyanair account to manage their booking.
• Customers don’t have to complete Ryanair’s customer verification.

Over the past few months, Ryanair has signed “Approved OTA” distribution agreements with six large OTAs, including this partnership with Kiwi, demonstrating how OTAs can work transparently with Ryanair to benefit consumers.

Speaking from Prague, Ryanair CEO, Eddie Wilson, said:

“We’re delighted to be in Prague with the Kiwi team today to launch a partnership with Ryanair flights now being available to Kiwi customers to book with full price transparency (no overcharges or hidden mark-ups) and direct access to their booking through their myRyanair account, which is great news for Kiwi customers.

With the peak summer season just around the corner, we look forward to seeing lots of happy Kiwi customers onboard our low fare Ryanair flights not only from our 4 Czech airports to 39 destinations, but right across Europe.”

Kiwi.com co-founder & CEO, Oliver Dlouhý, said:

“We couldn’t be more proud that the largest airline in Europe chose Kiwi.com as their first OTA partner for booking flights, recognising our investments in our product and customer experience. Our cooperation with Ryanair reflects our commitment to establishing relationships with airlines for the benefit of customers and our long-term business objectives.”

TRAFFIC GROWS 9%TO 184M DESPITE BOEING DELAYS
€700M SHARE BUYBACK ANNOUNCED

Ryanair Holdings plc today (20 May) reported full-year PAT growth of 34% to €1.92bn, as traffic grew 9% to 184m passengers (23% more than pre-Covid).  The Group’s industry leading cost base and increased revenues helped to offset a significantly higher fuel bill as hedged oil prices rose from $65bbl in FY23 to $89bbl in FY24.

	Mar. 2023	Mar. 2024	Change
Customers	168.6m	183.7m	+9%
Load Factor	93%	94%	+1pt
Revenue	€10.78bn	€13.44bn	+25%
Op. Costs	€9.20bn*	€11.38bn	+24%
PAT	€1.43bn*	€1.92bn	+34%

FY24 Highlights:

• Traffic grew 9% to 183.7m, despite Boeing delays.
• Rev. per pax up 15% (ave. fare +21% & ancil. rev. +3%).
• Fuel bill rose 32% (+€1.25bn) to €5.14bn.
• ESG ratings upgraded (MSCI ‘A’ & CDP ‘A-’) & strong 85% CSAT score achieved.
• 146x B737 “Gamechangers” in 584 aircraft fleet at Mar. 2024 due to Boeing delays.
• 5 new bases and over 200 new routes open for S.24.
• FY25 fuel over 70% hedged at just under $80bbl saving €450m.
• Maiden int. div. €0.175 paid in Feb.  Final div. of €0.178 (payable in Sept.).
• 300x B737-MAX-10 order underpins growth to 300m pax (FY34) subject to Boeing deliveries.

 

Ryanair’s Group CEO Michael O’Leary, said:

ENVIRONMENT:
“CDP recently awarded Ryanair an ‘A-’ climate rating (previously ‘B’), topping off a year of ESG upgrades incl. our industry leading MSCI ‘A’ rating (up from ‘BBB’), and retention of our Sustainalytics ranking as Europe’s No.1 airline for ESG.  Our new aircraft and increasing use of SAF has positioned Ryanair as one of the EU’s most environmentally efficient major airlines.  In FY24 we took delivery of 48x B737-8200 “Gamechangers” (4% more seats, 16% less fuel & CO2) and we retro-fitted winglets on over 25% of our B737NG fleet (target 409 by 2026), reducing fuel burn by 1.5% and noise by 6%.  Last year we expanded our SAF partnerships (incl. our first UK delivery from Shell) and we remain on track to achieve our ambitious 2030 goal of powering 12.5% of Ryanair flights with SAF (10% supply already secured).  In Apr. we extended our partnership with Trinity College Dublin’s Sustainable Aviation Research Centre (“TCD”) to 2030.  TCD’s valuable research facility supports the acceleration of SAF deployment across Europe.

In 2023 Europe suffered 67 days of ATC strikes, causing thousands of (avoidable) flight cancellations to/from Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK while France (in particular) uses minimum service laws to overprotect French local/domestic flights.  As we head into S.24, we again call on the EU Commission to deliver urgent reform of Europe’s inefficient ATC system, by protecting overflights (during national strikes) which would deliver important environmental improvements in EU air travel.  Regrettably, there has been zero action from the Commission on this environmental initiative.  We again call on  Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to defend the single market for air travel by protecting 100% of overflights during national ATC strikes, as is already the case in Greece, Italy and Spain.

GOVERNANCE:
The Board is pleased to welcome 2 new NEDs from 1 July, Ms. Jinane Laghrari Laabi (Morocco) and Ms. Amber Rudd (UK).  Jinane is a former partner with McKinsey & Company (Casablanca) covering Morocco, Africa & Middle East.  Amber is a former UK MP who held senior cabinet positions including Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.  To facilitate these appointments, Louise Phelan and Michael Cawley have confirmed that they will step down from the Board at the end of June having completed their 9 year tenure and we thank them sincerely for their leadership and service.  These new appointments, which align with our orderly succession plans, further enhance Ryanair’s Board diversity (geographic, gender and ethnic balance) with a 50:50 gender split following these latest changes. Our Chairman (Stan McCarthy) recently refreshed Board Committees to reflect these Board changes. 

During FY24, Ryanair’s EU ownership continued to increase and was just over 48% at year-end (up from 46%).

FLEET & GROWTH:
Ryanair had a fleet of 146x B737 Gamechangers at year-end and we hope to increase this to 158 by the end of July, which is 23 short of our contracted Boeing deliveries.  We continue to work closely with Boeing CEO (Dave Calhoun), CFO (Brian West) and the new Seattle management team to improve quality and accelerate B737 aircraft deliveries.  There remains a risk that Boeing deliveries could slip further.  We plan to deliver as much growth as possible for passengers and airport partners in S.24, although these delays mean more traffic growth will occur in lower yielding H2 than planned.  To facilitate this growth, we will continue to take delivery of B737s through Jul., Aug., and Sept., and Lauda recently extended 3x A320 op. leases by 4-years to 2028.

Travel demand in Europe is strong for S.24 and, despite Boeing delivery delays, we will operate our largest ever Summer schedule with over 200 new routes (and 5 new bases).  S.24 short-haul EU capacity is constrained as competitor airlines ground A320 aircraft for P&W engine repairs (these disruptions will likely run into 2026) and OEMs struggle to recover their delivery backlogs.  We therefore urge customers to book Summer travel early on www.ryanair.com to secure the best airfares before they sell out.

We expect European airline consolidation to continue, with the takeover of ITA (Italy) and Air Europa (Spain) progressing and the sale of TAP (Portugal) next.  This, in addition to A320 fleet groundings and the large backlog of OEM aircraft deliveries, is likely to constrain capacity growth in Europe for some years.  These capacity constraints, combined with our significant cost advantage (incl. FY25 fuel hedge savings of €450m), strong balance sheet, low-cost aircraft orders and industry leading resilience, will (we believe) underpin a decade of profitable growth for Ryanair as we grow to 300m passengers by FY34. 

FY24 BUSINESS REVIEW:

Revenue & Costs:
FY24 scheduled revenue increased 32% to €9.15bn.  Traffic grew 9% to 183.7m while ave. fare rose 21% to €49.80, thanks to a record H1 and strong Easter traffic in late Mar., offset by softer than expected Q3 fares and load factors (following the sudden, but welcome, removal of Ryanair flights from many OTA Pirate websites in early Dec.).  Ancillary sales increased 12% to €4.30bn (c.€23.40 per passenger).  Total FY24 revenue rose 25% to €13.44bn.  Operating costs increased 24% to €11.38bn, primarily due to a 32% increase in fuel costs, higher staff costs (incl. pay restoration, crew, engineering & handler pay rises, higher crewing ratios and pilot productivity pay as we improve operational resilience) and Boeing delivery delays.  More importantly, the widening cost gap between Ryanair and our EU competitors (which is further enhanced by Ryanair’s low-cost financing and net interest income) remains a growing competitive advantage.

Our FY25 fuel requirements are over 70% hedged at just under $80bbl and 80% of €/$ opex is hedged at $1.11.  This strong hedge position locks-in approx. €450m savings on fuel, and substantially insulates the Group from current fuel price volatility.

Balance Sheet & Liquidity:
Our balance sheet remains one of the strongest in the industry with a BBB+ credit rating (both S&P and Fitch) and €4.12bn gross cash at year-end, despite €2.4bn capex and well over €1bn debt repayments.  Year-end net cash was €1.37bn (PY: €0.56bn), somewhat boosted by Boeing delivery delays.  Our owned B737 fleet (556 aircraft) is fully unencumbered, which significantly widens our cost advantage over competitor airlines, many of whom are exposed to rising aircraft lease and financing costs.

SHAREHOLDER RETURNS:
Our strategy, as Ryanair recovered from Covid, was to prioritise pay restoration and multi-year pay increases for our people, which has now been delivered.  Secondly, in a higher interest rate environment, we intended to pay down remaining debt as it matures in 2025 and 2026, while also financing our aircraft capex from internal resources.  Once these priorities have been secured, Group policy is to prioritise growth to drive shareholder value while maintaining a strong, investment grade, balance sheet, and delivering shareholder returns.

In line with the above Capital Allocation Policy, Ryanair paid an interim dividend of €0.175 per share in Feb. with a final dividend of €0.178 per share due in Sept. following our AGM.  Given current surplus cash, the Board has approved a €700m share buyback now (which will formally launch later this week).  This buyback when completed, will increase the funds Ryanair has returned to shareholders since 2008 to over €7.8bn.

OUTLOOK:
Ryanair expects to grow FY25 traffic by 8% (198m to 200m passengers), subject to Boeing deliveries returning to contracted levels before year-end.  Our cost advantage over competitors continues to widen, even though we expect FY25 unit costs to rise modestly as ex-fuel costs (incl. annualised pay & productivity allowance increases, higher handling & ATC fees and the impact of Gamechanger delivery delays on crewing ratios and fixed costs) is substantially offset by our fuel hedge savings and our rising interest income.  With EU short-haul capacity constrained, S.24 demand is positive, with bookings trending ahead of last year.  Recent pricing is softer than we expected, with Q1 requiring more price stimulation than last year (particularly as half of Easter moved into Mar. and out of Apr.).  While  visibility is limited, and the outcome will be heavily dependent on close-in peak S.24 pricing, we remain cautiously optimistic that peak S.24 fares will be flat to modestly ahead of last summer.  Q4 FY25 will not benefit from an early Easter (as it did in FY24).  It is therefore too early to be able to provide sensible or accurate FY25 PAT guidance.  The final outcome for FY25 will be heavily dependent upon avoiding adverse events during FY25 (such as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, extensive ATC disruptions or further Boeing delivery delays).”   

 

Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, has partnered with Citi to become the first European airline to deposit funds in its new Sustainable Deposit Solution, which launched earlier this year. This will enable Ryanair to invest excess cash to support different sustainable financing projects across Citi’s portfolio, such as renewable energy, water conservation, healthcare and education in emerging markets.

The initiative supports Ryanair’s sustainability agenda. Funds invested are allocated to finance or refinance assets in a portfolio of eligible green and/or social finance projects, based on the criteria set out in the Citi Green Bond Framework, Social Finance Framework and Social Bond for Affordable Housing Framework.

Ryanair’s Director of Sustainability, Thomas Fowler, said:

“Ryanair is proud to be leading sustainable aviation in Europe, which is further evidenced by our partnership with Citi to deposit funds in their new Sustainable Deposit Solution. This will not only help us manage our finances more sustainably but will further drive our sustainability agenda in whole as we support several sustainability projects across Citi’s portfolio, from water conservation to affordable housing and beyond.”

David Tsui, Global Sustainability (ESG) Head of Deposit and Investment Products at Citi, said:

“Citi is helping our clients to progress their own ESG priorities by providing the opportunity to support eligible environmental and social projects in Citi’s portfolios. We are delighted to partner with Ryanair as the first European airline to deposit funds in our recently launched Sustainable Deposit Solution.  We have committed to financing and facilitating $1 trillion in sustainable finance by 2030 as part of goal to further the acceleration to a sustainable, low carbon economy.”