Ryanair boss warns fares will go up in EASTER – book now or face higher prices

• Ryanair bosses have warned Brits a surge in demand will cause Easter price
• Airline boss said it has seen ‘robust demand’ for Easter and summer 2023 flights

Ryanair bosses have warned Brits that a surge in demand for foreign trips will mean ticket prices on the budget airline surge over the Easter holidays.

The Dublin-based airline said recent passenger numbers over the October half term and festive period illustrate the return of a ‘strong pent-up travel demand.’

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary warned that people wanting the lowest fares should book as soon as possible as ‘we expect these will sell out early’. 

This is the cost of a single ticket travelling from a London on April 3 according to Ryanair

Ryanair chief executive Michael O´Leary has said there is ‘robust demand’ for flights 

Alicante from £76

Tenerife from £136

Berlin from £52

Portugal from £86

Marrakesh from £258

Oslo from £27

Santorini from £132

Rome from £88

*Prices based on one-way flight from a London airport on 3 April

The airline had one-way trips to popular holiday destinations over the Easter period including Alicante, Tenerife, Berlin, Oslo and Santorini.

Flights to other popular foreign locations in the same period are also expensive. 

A single ticket on economy flight to Tenerife is currently being sold for £136. 

It comes as Ryanair’s average fares between October and December were 14% above 2019 levels due to a post pandemic purple patch in demand. 

It recorded a profit of 211 million euro (£185 million) for the quarter.

That is compared with a 96 million euro (£84 million) loss a year earlier, and is more than double its 88 million euro (£77 million) profit for the same three months in 2019. 

The airline carried 38.4 million passengers between October and December, up 24% year-on-year and 7% above pre-virus levels.

There is ‘robust demand’ for Easter and summer 2023 flights driven by the return of Asian tourists and Americans being encouraged to visit Europe due to the strength of the US dollar, chief executive Michael O’Leary explained.

He recommended that people wanting the lowest fares should book as soon as possible as ‘we expect these will sell out early’.

Ryanair said it has announced 230 new routes for the 12 months to the end of March 2024 and is expanding in Italy, Poland, Ireland and Spain.

The company took delivery of 11 Boeing 737 Gamechanger aircraft in the last quarter, bringing its fleet of the more fuel-efficient aircraft to 84.

Mr O’Leary said an investment of more than 200 million dollars (£161 million) will save 1.5% of fuel by retrofitting existing aircraft with scimitar winglets.

He added that more than 95% of crews have had pandemic-related pay cuts restored by agreement.

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