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Ryanair

Ryanair Holdings PLC is an Irish ultra low-cost carrier group headquartered in Swords, Dublin, Ireland.[13] The company includes the subsidiaries Ryanair DACTooltip Designated activity company,[14] Malta Air, Buzz, Lauda Europe and Ryanair UK. Ryanair DAC, the oldest airline of the group, was founded in 1984.[12] Ryanair Holdings was established in 1996 as a holding company for Ryanair with the two companies having the same board of directors and executive officers.[15] In 2019 the transition began from the airline Ryanair and its subsidiaries into separate sister airlines under the holding company.[16] Later in 2019 Malta Air joined Ryanair Holdings.[17]

Not to be confused with Ryan Air Services or Rayani Air. For other similarly named air carriers, see Ryan Airlines (disambiguation).

Operating bases

List of bases

575

235[10]

Swords, Dublin, Ireland

Increase €10.775 billion (2023)

Increase €1.314 billion (2023)

Increase €16.406 billion (2023)

Increase €5.643 billion (2023)

19,000 (2022)[11]

ryanair.com

28 November 1984 (1984-11-28)[12]

8 July 1985 (1985-07-08)

Ryanair Holdings PLC

Swords, Dublin, Ireland

Christopher Ryan | Tony Ryan | Liam Lonergan

Ryanair has been characterised by its rapid expansion, a result of the deregulation of the aviation industry in Europe in 1997 and the success of its low-cost business model. The group operates more than 500 planes.[18] Its route network serves over 40 countries in Europe, North Africa (Morocco), and the Middle East (Israel and Jordan).[19] The primary operational bases are at Dublin, London Stansted and Milan Bergamo airports. Ryanair is Ireland's biggest airline[20] and in 2016 became the world's largest airline by scheduled international passengers.[21]


The company has at times been criticised for its refusal to issue invoices for the VAT-exempt services it provides (airfares),[22] poor working conditions,[23][24][25] heavy use of extra charges,[26][27][28] poor customer service,[29][30] and tendency to intentionally generate controversy in order to gain publicity.[31][32][33]

Corporate affairs[edit]

Business trends[edit]

The key trends for the Ryanair Group over recent years are (as of the financial year ending 31 March):

Competitors[edit]

Ryanair has several low-cost competitors. Although traditionally a full-service airline, Aer Lingus moved to a low-fares strategy from 2002, leading to a much more intense competition with Ryanair on Irish routes.[248] Ryanair is a member of Airlines for Europe, having formerly been a member of the defunct European Low Fares Airline Association.[249][250]


Airlines that attempt to compete directly with Ryanair are treated competitively, with Ryanair being accused by some of reducing fares to significantly undercut its competitors. In response to MyTravelLite, which started to compete with Ryanair on Birmingham to Dublin route in 2003, Ryanair set up competing flights on some of MyTravelLite's routes until it pulled out. Go was another airline that attempted to offer services from Ryanair's base in Dublin to Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland. A fierce battle ensued, which ended with Go withdrawing its service from Dublin.[251]


In September 2004, Ryanair's biggest competitor, EasyJet, announced routes to Ireland for the first time, beginning with the Cork to London Gatwick route. Until then, EasyJet had never competed directly with Ryanair on its home ground. EasyJet later withdrew its Gatwick-Cork, Gatwick-Shannon, Gatwick-Knock and Luton-Shannon routes.[252]


In 2012, Ryanair also responded to the decision of another low-cost carrier, Wizz Air, that planned to move its flight operations from Warsaw Chopin Airport in Poland to the new low-cost Warsaw Modlin Airport in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki.[253] Ryanair had previously operated the route to Dublin from Warsaw but withdrew, claiming that the fees at Warsaw's main airport were too high. When Wizz Air began operations from Modlin Airport, Ryanair began several new routes from the same airport, most of which were identical to routes offered by Wizz Air.


In 2008, Ryanair asked the Irish High Court to investigate why it had been refused permission to fly from Knock to Dublin. This route was won by CityJet, which could not operate the service. The runner-up, Aer Arann, was then allowed to start flights, a move Ryanair criticises as the basis of not initiating an additional tender process was unlawful.[254]


DFDS Seaways cited competition from low-cost air services, especially Ryanair, which now flies to Edinburgh Airport and London Stansted Airport from Göteborg Landvetter Airport, as the reason for scrapping the Newcastle–Gothenburg ferry service in October 2006.[255] It was the only dedicated passenger ferry service between Sweden and the United Kingdom and had been running under various operators since the 19th century.

On 10 November 2008, , from Frankfurt–Hahn Airport, suffered undercarriage damage in an emergency landing at Rome–Ciampino Airport, after experiencing bird strikes, which damaged both engines on approach. There were six crew members and 166 passengers on board.[308] Two crew members and eight passengers were taken to hospital with minor injuries.[309] The port undercarriage of the Boeing 737-800 collapsed,[310] leaving the aircraft stranded on the runway and closing the airport for over 35 hours.[309] As well as damage to the engines and undercarriage, the rear fuselage was also damaged by contact with the runway.[311] The aircraft involved was damaged beyond repair and was scrapped. The final report of the accident, investigated by ANSV (National Flight Safety Agency) was released on 20 December 2018, more than 10 years after the accident and only in Italian.[312] An English translation was provided by Aviation Accident Database.[313]

Ryanair Flight 4102

On 23 May 2021, (Athens–Vilnius) carrying 6 crew and 126 passengers was diverted to Minsk National Airport after a false bomb threat was made while the aircraft was 45 nautical miles (83 km; 52 mi) south of Vilnius and 90 nautical miles (170 km; 100 mi) west of Minsk, but still in Belarusian airspace.[314][309][315] According to the airline, its pilots were notified by Belarusian authorities of "a potential security threat on board" and told to land the plane in Minsk.[316][317] In Minsk, Belarusian journalist and opposition activist Raman Pratasevich and his girlfriend were removed from the plane and arrested.[314][318] Although the plane was closer to Vilnius, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, according to his press service, personally ordered the flight to be redirected to Minsk and sent Belarusian Air Force MiG-29 fighter aircraft to escort it.[314][319][320] Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called for an ICAO investigation of the incident.[321]

Ryanair Flight 4978

On 9 April 2023, Ryanair Flight 5542 (–Dublin) had an emergency landing that led to front gear damage. The southern runway in Dublin Airport was temporarily closed. There were no injuries but one person was treated for shock.[322]

Liverpool

Controversies[edit]

On a 10 June 2023 flight from Bologna to Tel Aviv, a cabin crew member announced that the flight would soon be landing in Palestine. Many passengers were upset and the airline later apologised.[323][324]


In June 2023, Ryanair fired chief pilot Aidan Murray for sexually harassing female colleagues.[325]

List of airlines

List of companies of Ireland

List of low-cost airlines

Calder, Simon (2002). No Frills: The Truth Behind the Low-Cost Revolution in the Skies. London: Virgin Books.  1-85227-932-X.

ISBN

Clark, Andrew (8 May 2006). . The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 May 2006.

"Ryanair ... the low-fare airline with the sky-high insurance levy"

Creaton, Siobhán (2004). Ryanair: How a Small Irish Airline Conquered Europe. London: Aurum Press.  1-85410-992-8.

ISBN

— (2007). Ryanair: The full story of the controversial low-cost airline. London: Aurum.  978-1-84513-293-4.

ISBN

Ruddock, Alan (2007). Michael O'Leary – A Life in Full Flight. Dublin: Penguin Ireland.  978-1-84488-055-3.

ISBN

Field, James (22 May 2018). . Airways magazine. Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.

"Ryanair's Unstoppable Growth: Profits, Planes, Routes"

Official website