Ryanair passenger traffic continues growth in March

Airline carried 15.8 million passengers last month

Ryanair passenger traffic rose 5% last month. Photograph: Will Meakin-Durrant/PA Wire
Ryanair passenger traffic rose 5% last month. Photograph: Will Meakin-Durrant/PA Wire

Traffic at Ryanair rose 5 per cent last month, the airline said, with a total of 15.8 million passengers flying on its routes during the month.

That compared to 15 million passengers in March 2025.

Load factor, a measure of how full flights are, was stable at 93 per cent.

That brings to 208.4 million the number of passengers that have flown with Ryanair in the 12 months to the end of March. It marks a 4 per cent increase year on year for the airline, while load factor for the rolling 12-month period remained stable at 94 per cent.

But airlines are facing a period of uncertainty as the war between the US, Israel and Iran continues to impact oil prices, potentially driving inflation and increasing fuel costs.

About 40 per cent of the world’s jet fuel passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been impacted by the war.

Ryanair said it was unlikely to hedge its fuel costs before the end of June, as it waits for more clarity on prices.

Airlines in general are delaying taking out new jet fuel hedges in the hope that prices will fall in the coming months.

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Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist