Ryanair Posts Stronger-than-Expected After-Tax Profit Amid Boeing Delays
Low-cost airline Ryanair reported after-tax profit of 149 million euros ($155.8 million) for the fiscal third quarter to the end of December, surpassing analysts’ expectations of 60 million euros. Traffic grew 9% to 45 million passengers despite prolonged Boeing delivery delays, which have limited the airline’s ability to deliver full-year growth targets.
Although Ryanair traffic is expected to reach 206 million passengers this year, lower than the initially targeted 210 million, company officials remain cautiously optimistic about their outlook. With bookings strong into the summer season, the airline’s CFO Neil Sorahan indicated that the strong demand may enable them to beat their revised guidance.
Sorahan expressed frustration at not hitting their initial target, but welcomed the “huge improvements” made by Boeing at its production facilities in Seattle, which have cleared up supply chain issues. Analysts at Citi noted that Ryanair’s guidance may lead to volatility in the company’s share price but believe it may also support higher prices due to the industry-wide issue.
Overall, Ryanair’s full-year after-tax profit guidance for 2026 falls within a range of 1.55 billion euros to 1.61 billion euros, pending the continued risk of global conflicts and additional Boeing delivery delays.