Ryanair quarterly profit slumps by a third on lower fares, higher fuel costs
Management sees capacity cuts supporting future fares
Weakness in fares is likely to be short-lived, however, as European aviation is facing a wave of consolidation and airline failures that will take out capacity, Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorahan said.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see a number of casualties this winter ... there's a few people very much on the edge," Sorahan said in an interview.
He said he expected "significant capacity" to be cut in Europe this winter, "which could be positive for pricing," and a lot more may be taken out in summer 2027.
The possible sale of British rival easyJet EZJ.L, which is the subject of a bidding war, could also lead to a reduction in capacity and could trigger a "domino effect" of consolidation in Europe, Sorahan said.
Ryanair has not seen any hit to bookings from the heatwaves that have hit Europe in recent months, Sorahan added.
"We're still flying full loads down to the Mediterranean every day, down to Greece and elsewhere. People as keen to get away as ever, albeit booking just a little bit later," he said.
