Ryanair fare falls ease after fraught summer, growth to return next year

Sharp falls in Ryanair ticket prices seen earlier this summer have eased significantly and CE Michael O'Leary is optimistic fares will return to growth next summer due to capacity constraints, he said on Monday. The airline, Europe's largest by passenger numbers, reported an 18% fall in after-tax profit for the six months to the end of September, the first half of its financial year, as average fares fell 10%. Sharp falls in Ryanair ticket prices seen earlier this summer have eased significantly and CE Michael O'Leary is optimistic fares will return to growth next summer due to capacity constraints, he said on Monday. The airline, Europe's largest by passenger numbers, reported an 18% fall in after-tax profit for the six months to the end of September, the first half of its financial year, as average fares fell 10%. O'Leary said Ryanair had cut its passenger target for the year to March 2026 to 210m from 215m due to Boeing delivery delays, confirming plans reported by Reuters earlier this month, but said a fall in capacity could actually boost profitability. Ryanair's share price, which fell 3% in early trading after the capacity cut was announced, were up 0.2% at 1242 GMT, following the analyst call.<br/>