ROME (Reuters) – Ryanair believes the outlook for summer travel is very strong with a reasonable prospect of average European short-haul air fares rising by a high single digit percentage, Chief Executive Michael O’Leary told Reuters on Thursday.
Ryanair’s summer plans will also be boosted by hopes that by the end of May it will receive 40 to 45 of 51 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft due for delivery, O’Leary said in an interview.
He had previously said the airline would be lucky to get 40 by June.
O’Leary added that bookings over the first weeks of 2023 were very strong and were also strong for the February mid-term and Easter holidays, although pricing for the first three months of the year will be a “little bit softer” than pre-COVID levels.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante, writing by Padraic Halpin in Dublin. Editing by Jane Merriman)
