Ryanair transported seven million passengers in January

Ryanair flew with seven million passengers last month as reaction to Covid's Omicron strain slowed travel's recovery.

The Irish airline, Europe’s biggest, cut flights in January as governments stepped up Covid curbs in response Omicron’s emergence in December.

Ryanair said on Wednesday the seven million total for last month was in line with a forecast issued days before Christmas when restrictions sparked a fall in bookings.

Before Omicron emerged late last year, Ryanair had expected to carry about 10 million passengers in January.

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Seats sold

Last month’s figure was more than five times the 1.3 million people who flew with the airline in January 2021, when restrictions severely limited travel.

The airline sold 79 per cent of the seats on its aircraft last month, against 81 per cent in December and 86 per cent in November.

Passenger numbers hit 11.3 million in October, the highest of any month in 2021, while they were 10.2 million in November and 9.5 million in December.

Michael O’Leary, Ryanair chief executive, argued earlier this week that government and media overreaction to omicron hit Christmas and new year bookings.

Extra restrictions introduced by the Republic’s Government in early December 2021 sparked confusion among airlines and passengers.

Trips abroad

The Government changed the date of the new curbs’ introduction, a move that stranded passengers, including Irish citizens returning from trips abroad.

The World Health Organisation subsequently confirmed that travel restrictions failed to halt Omicron's spread.

Ryanair expects to lose between €250 million and €450 million in its current financial year, which ends on March 31st, partly as a result of European states’ reaction to the Omicron wave.

Analysts at Bank of America this week predicted that the Irish airline's losses were likely to be €401 million.

However, Ryanair is optimistic for this summer and plans to offer 14 per cent more seats during the holiday period than it did in 2019, the year before Covid bans hit travel.

It expects to sell more than 90 per cent of the seats on its aircraft, bringing it closer to pre-Covid levels.