Ryan Air
Ryanair is an Irish ultra-low-cost airline headquartered in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland. It is the largest airline in Europe based on annual passengers, fleet size, number of flights, the largest airline worldwide based on number of international passengers carried, and the third-largest airline worldwide based on market capitalization after Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. It has the fifth highest net income of all airlines worldwide. In 2025, the company sold 208 million airline tickets, with average total revenue of €70 per ticket sold, compared to average total costs of €62 per ticket sold. It is widely considered to be the cheapest or one of the cheapest airlines in Europe.
Ryanair operates 3,500 short-haul flights per day serving approximately 230 airports in over 40 countries in Europe as well as Morocco, Jordan, and Turkey. Its primary operational bases are at Dublin, London Stansted, and Milan Bergamo airports.
Ryanair is known for its no frills policy; it generates ancillary revenue of approximately one-third of total revenue as it charges fees for seat selection, using airport check-in facilities, paying by credit card, for checked baggage, has high penalties for oversized baggage not paid for in advance, and has a buy on board programme in which airline meals must be purchased separately. Ryanair is also known for its low cost model; to allow for faster cleaning and quick turnaround times, Ryanair aircraft have non-reclining seats, no seat-back pockets, safety cards stuck on the back of the seats, life jackets stowed overhead rather than under the seat, and requires passengers to use boarding stairs or built-in airstairs rather than more expensive jet bridges. To keep costs low, the company significantly adjusts its route network after governments increase airport fees, taxes, or environmental levies.
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary, who owns approximately 4% of the company, has been known to intentionally generate controversy to gain publicity for the airline.
Ryanair Holdings plc, the parent company, owns subsidiaries Ryanair DACTooltip Designated activity company, Malta Air, Buzz, Lauda Europe and Ryanair UK. The airline was founded in 1985 by Christopher Ryan and Tony Ryan; Ryanair was named after its founders.
Including subsidiaries, Ryanair has a fleet of 647 planes, including 210 owned Boeing 737 MAX 8-200s (which was designed specifically by Boeing for Ryanair to carry more people at a lower cost per passenger), 411 owned Boeing 737 Next Generations, and 26 leased Airbus A320s for Lauda Europe.
Ryanair is ranked 790th on the Forbes Global 2000 and 280th on the Fortune 500 Europe.
The company has consistently ranked poorly in customer satisfaction in annual surveys by Which?; the company has responded that the surveys have a low sample size and that ticket sales continue to increase.
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