Ryanair has decided it is time to raise flight fare prices | Photo: Cristi Mitu/Shutterstock
Ryanair’s about to make your summer holiday pricier. After a year of slashed fares that dented profits, the budget airline giant is jacking up ticket prices, with a 5-6 per cent increase expected for the 2025 peak season, according to a The Guardian report.
Easter already saw a 15 per cent jump, and with Europe’s biggest airline carrying just over 200 million passengers in 2024-25, a lot of wallets are feeling the pinch.
Profits dropped 16 per cent to 1.6 billion euros, stung by a 7 per cent fare cut to keep planes full after a spat with online travel agents like Booking.com and Kayak, who yanked Ryanair’s flights from their sites.
However, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, who is always the brash dealmaker, calls the results “remarkably robust,” pointing to 8 euros earned per passenger while keeping costs in check.
The airline’s not just banking on higher fares. It’s dishing out 400 million euros in dividends and kicking off a 750 million euro share buyback next week, thanks to a cash pile boosted by Boeing’s delivery delays.
Sidestepping US tariffs
Ryanair’s waiting on 29 more 737 Max eight planes for next summer, but with Boeing’s production woes—capped at 38 jets a month after a door plug fiasco—those could slip to autumn. O’Leary’s unfazed, saying Boeing’s “situation on the ground has significantly improved.” He’s also dodging potential US tariffs by possibly diverting deliveries to the UK, where trade deals might sidestep extra costs. “Tariffs are Boeing’s problem, not ours,” he quips, leaning on fixed-price contracts.
O’Leary’s optimism isn’t just about planes. Lower jet fuel prices and a widening cost gap with rivals like easyJet and Wizz Air are set to lift profits.
A gut punch for holidaymakers
Ryanair’s fuel is 85 per cent hedged at $80 per barrel for 2025, saving millions. Meanwhile, the airline flexes its muscles—200 million passengers, 609 aircraft, and a BBB+ credit rating.
O’Leary’s also cheering Keir Starmer’s push to smooth UK-Europe travel, like fixing passport e-gates and pitching a youth mobility scheme. “Anything that cuts the nonsense at borders, we’re all for,” he says.
But let’s be real—higher fares sting. After a year of frugal travellers forcing Ryanair to slash prices, this rebound feels like a gut punch for holidaymakers.
With 164 new routes and a target of traffic growth of 3 per cent to 206 million passengers by 2026, according to a Ryanair corporate report, the low-cost airline is betting on demand staying hot. Whether flying to Malaga or Krakow, brace for a pricier ticket.
