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Ryanair

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Ryanair



 
 
Ryanair ( ) is an Irish
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
 low cost
Low-cost carrier

A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that offers generally low fares in exchange for eliminating many traditional passenger services....
 airline
Airline

File:Fedex-md11-N525FE-051109-21-16.jpgFile:Ryanair.b737-800.aftertakeoff.arp.jpgAn airline provides civil aviation for passengers or freight, generally with a recognized operating certificate or license....
, with headquarters in Dublin International Airport and its largest operational bases at Dublin International Airport and London Stansted Airport
London Stansted Airport

London Stansted Airport is a passenger airport located in the Uttlesford District of the England county of Essex, north-east of central London....
.

Ryanair operates 181 aircraft on 729 routes across Europe and North Africa from its 31 bases. The airline has been characterised by rapid expansion, a result of the deregulation
Deregulation

Deregulation is a process by which governments remove, reduce or simplify restrictions on business and individuals. It is the removal of some governmental controls over a market....
 of the air industry in Europe in 1992 and the success of its low cost business model.






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Encyclopedia


Ryanair ( ) is an Irish
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
 low cost
Low-cost carrier

A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that offers generally low fares in exchange for eliminating many traditional passenger services....
 airline
Airline

File:Fedex-md11-N525FE-051109-21-16.jpgFile:Ryanair.b737-800.aftertakeoff.arp.jpgAn airline provides civil aviation for passengers or freight, generally with a recognized operating certificate or license....
, with headquarters in Dublin International Airport and its largest operational bases at Dublin International Airport and London Stansted Airport
London Stansted Airport

London Stansted Airport is a passenger airport located in the Uttlesford District of the England county of Essex, north-east of central London....
.

Ryanair operates 181 aircraft on 729 routes across Europe and North Africa from its 31 bases. The airline has been characterised by rapid expansion, a result of the deregulation
Deregulation

Deregulation is a process by which governments remove, reduce or simplify restrictions on business and individuals. It is the removal of some governmental controls over a market....
 of the air industry in Europe in 1992 and the success of its low cost business model. Ryanair is the third largest airline in Europe in terms of passenger numbers and the world's largest in terms of international passenger numbers.

Financials and history


Financial overview

Ryanair has grown since its establishment in 1985, from a small airline flying a short hop from Waterford
Waterford

Waterford is the primary city of the South East region. Founded in 914 in Ireland AD, by the Vikings, it is Ireland's oldest city. It is the fifth largest city in the country of Republic of Ireland....
 to London, into one of Europe's largest carriers. After taking the rapidly growing airline public in 1997, the money raised was used to expand the airline into a pan-European carrier. Revenue
Revenue

In business, revenue or revenues is income that a corporation receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of product to customers....
s have risen from
Euro

The euro is the official currency of 16 out of 27 European Union member state of the European Union . The states, known collectively as the Eurozone are: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain....
231 million in 1998, to some €843 million in 2003 and net profits have increased from €48 million to €239 million, over the same period.

Half year profits for the period ended 31 October 2007, included ancillary revenue
Ancillary revenue

Airline revenue from non-ticket sources, which is called ancillary revenue, has become an important financial component for low-cost carriers in Europe and is being adopted by all types of airlines throughout the world....
 of €252 million. This activity was associated with the sale of car hire, hotels and travel insurance, as well as on board sales and excess baggage revenues. Ancillary revenue now accounts for just over 16% of total revenues.

Early years

Ryanair was founded in 1985 by Christy Ryan (after whom the company is named), Liam Lonergan (owner of an Irish tour operator named Club Travel) and noted Irish businessman, Tony Ryan
Tony Ryan

Thomas Anthony "Tony" Ryan was an Ireland millionaire, philanthropist and businessman.He was a founder of Guinness Peat Aviation and co-founder of Ryanair with Christy Ryan and Liam Lonergan....
, founder of Guinness Peat Aviation
Guinness Peat Aviation

Guinness Peat Aviation was a Commercial Aircraft Sales and Leasing company set up in 1975 by Aer Lingus, the Guinness Peat Group and Tony Ryan, then an Aer Lingus executive....
 and father of Cathal Ryan and Declan. The airline began with a 15-seat Embraer Bandeirante
Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante

The Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante is a general purpose 15-21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft suitable for military and Civil aviation duties....
 turboprop
Turboprop

A turboprop engine is a type of aircraft engine that uses a gas turbine to drive a propeller. The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller....
 aircraft, flying between Waterford
Waterford

Waterford is the primary city of the South East region. Founded in 914 in Ireland AD, by the Vikings, it is Ireland's oldest city. It is the fifth largest city in the country of Republic of Ireland....
 and London Gatwick Airport
London Gatwick Airport

Gatwick Airport is London's second largest airport and second Busiest airports in the United Kingdom by total passenger traffic in the United Kingdom after London Heathrow Airport....
 with the aim of breaking the duopoly
Duopoly

A true duopoly is a specific type of oligopoly where only two producers exist in one market. In reality, this definition is generally used where only two firms have dominant control over a market....
 on London-Ireland
Republic of Ireland

Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
 flights at that time, held by British Airways
British Airways

British Airways plc is an airline of the United Kingdom. The airline has the largest fleet of aircraft of any United Kingdom airline, but is only second in terms of international passengers carried....
 and Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus is the flag carrier airline of Republic of Ireland. Based at Dublin Airport, it operates 46 Airbus aircraft serving Europe, Africa and North America....
.

In 1986, the company added a second route – flying Dublin
Dublin

Dublin is both the largest city and capital of Republic of Ireland. It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region....
-London Luton
London Luton Airport

London Luton Airport is an international airport located east of the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England and is north of Central London. The airport is from Junction 10a of the M1 motorway....
, in direct competition to the Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus is the flag carrier airline of Republic of Ireland. Based at Dublin Airport, it operates 46 Airbus aircraft serving Europe, Africa and North America....
 / BA
British Airways

British Airways plc is an airline of the United Kingdom. The airline has the largest fleet of aircraft of any United Kingdom airline, but is only second in terms of international passengers carried....
 duopoly for the first time. Under partial EU Deregulation, airlines could begin new international intra-EU services, as long as at least one of the two governments gave approval (the so-called "double-disapproval" regime). The Irish government at the time refused its approval, in order to protect Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus is the flag carrier airline of Republic of Ireland. Based at Dublin Airport, it operates 46 Airbus aircraft serving Europe, Africa and North America....
, but Britain, under Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Fellow of the Royal Society was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990....
's pro-free-market Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservative Party, is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom....
 government, approved the service. With two routes and two planes, the fledgling airline carried 82,000 passengers in one year.

Passenger numbers continued to increase, but the airline generally ran at a loss and by 1991, was in need of restructuring. Michael O'Leary
Michael O'Leary (Ryanair)

Michael O'Leary is Chief Executive Officer of the Irish airline Ryanair. He is one of Republic of Ireland's wealthiest businessmen....
 was charged with the task of making the airline profitable. Ryan encouraged him to visit the USA to study the 'low fares/no frills' model being used by Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost carrier airline with its largest focus city at Las Vegas, Nevada' McCarran International Airport....
. O'Leary quickly decided that the key to low fares was to implement quick turn-around times for aircraft, "no frills" and no business class, as well as operating a single model of aircraft.

O'Leary returned, convinced that Ryanair could make huge inroads into the European air market, at that time dominated by national carriers, which were subsidised to various degrees by their parent countries. He competed with the major airlines by providing a "no-frills", low-cost service. Flights were scheduled into regional airports, which offered lower landing and handling charges than larger established international airports. O'Leary as Chief Executive did a publicity stunt
Publicity stunt

A publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the mass media attention to the organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized or set up by amateurs....
, where he helped out with baggage handling on Ryanair flights at Dublin airport. By 1995, after the consistent pursuit of its low-cost business model, Ryanair celebrated its 10th birthday by carrying 2.25 million passengers.

1992 – 1999

In 1992, the European Union's (EU)
European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European Union member state, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community....
 deregulation of the air industry in Europe gave carriers from one EU country the right to operate scheduled services between other EU states and represented a major opportunity for Ryanair. After a successful floatation on the Dublin Stock Exchange
Irish Stock Exchange

The Irish Stock Exchange is Ireland's stock exchange, formed through the merger of the Cork and Dublin exchanges, both of which have existed as far back as 1793....
 and the NASDAQ Stock exchanges
NASDAQ

The NASDAQ is an United States stock exchange. It is the largest Electronic trading screen-based Stock trading market in the United States....
, the airline launched services to Stockholm
Stockholm

is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish Government of Sweden, the Parliament of Sweden, and the official residence of the Swedish Monarchy of Sweden....
, Oslo
Oslo

is the Capital and largest List of cities in Norway in Norway.Metropolitan Oslo or the Greater Oslo Region makes up the third largest urban area in Scandinavia after Metropolitan Stockholm and Metropolitan Copenhagen....
 (Sandefjord Airport, Torp, 110 km south of Oslo), Paris and Charleroi
Charleroi

Charleroi is the largest city and Municipalities in Belgium of Wallonia, located in the Provinces of Belgium of Hainaut , Belgium. On 1 January 2008, Charleroi had a total population of 201,593....
 near Brussels
Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium....
. In 1998, flush with new capital, the airline placed a massive $
United States dollar

The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States and was defined by the Coinage Act of 1792 to be between 371 and 416 grains of silver ....
2 billion
1000000000 (number)

1,000,000,000 is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001.In scientific notation, it is written as 109....
 order for 45 new Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow-body aircraft jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower cost twin engine airliner derived from Boeing's Boeing 707 and Boeing 727, the 737 has nine variants, from the early -100 to the most recent and largest, the -900....
 series aircraft.

2000 – 2006

Ryanair Pescara 03
The airline launched its website in 2000, with online booking initially said to be a small and unimportant part of the software supporting the site. Increasingly the online booking contributed to the aim of cutting flight prices by selling direct to passengers and excluding the costs imposed by travel agents. Within a year the website was handling three-quarters of all bookings. Today it is only possible to book seats via the website or via the "Ryanair direct" call-centre. No other possibilities are officially offered.

Ryanair launched a new hub of operation in Brussels South Charleroi Airport in 2001. Later that year, the airline ordered 155 new Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow-body aircraft jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower cost twin engine airliner derived from Boeing's Boeing 707 and Boeing 727, the 737 has nine variants, from the early -100 to the most recent and largest, the -900....
 series aircraft from Boeing
Boeing

The Boeing Company is a major aerospace and defense corporation, originally founded by William Edward Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997....
 at what was believed to be a substantial discount, (taking full advantage of the downturn in aeroplane orders after the slump in air travel following the September 2001 aircraft attacks in the United States) to be delivered over eight years from 2002 to 2010. Approximately 100 of these aircraft had been delivered by the end of 2005, although there were slight delays in late 2005 caused by production disruptions arising from a Boeing
Boeing

The Boeing Company is a major aerospace and defense corporation, originally founded by William Edward Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997....
 machinists' strike.

In 2002, Ryanair launched 26 new routes and established a hub in Frankfurt-Hahn Airport
Frankfurt-Hahn Airport

Frankfurt-Hahn Airport is a commercial airport located from the town of Kirchberg and from the town of Simmern in the Rhein-Hunsrueck district of Rhineland-Palatinate to the west of central Germany....
, its European expansion firmly on track.

In 2003, Ryanair announced the order of a further 100 new Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow-body aircraft jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower cost twin engine airliner derived from Boeing's Boeing 707 and Boeing 727, the 737 has nine variants, from the early -100 to the most recent and largest, the -900....
 series aircraft and in February, a third continental base was opened at Milan-Bergamo
Orio al Serio Airport

Orio al Serio International Airport is an airport located in Orio al Serio, Bergamo, Italy, and it serves the low-cost traffic of Milan. Orio al Serio is operated by SACBO ....
 in Italy.

In April 2003, Ryanair acquired its ailing competitor Buzz
Buzz (airline)

buzz was a low-cost airline based at London Stansted operating services within Europe....
 from KLM at a knock-down price. Expansion continued with the launch of a base at Stockholm (Skavsta)
Stockholm-Skavsta Airport

Stockholm-Skavsta Airport...
, Sweden. By the end of 2003, the airline flew 127 routes, of which 60 had opened in the previous 12 months.

The airline launched two more bases in the first half of 2004, at Rome (Ciampino) and Barcelona (Girona)
Girona-Costa Brava Airport

Girona-Costa Brava Airport is an airport located 12 km south of the city of Girona, next to the small village of Vilob? d'Onyar, in the north-east of Catalonia, Spain....
, increasing the total to 11 hubs.

During 2004, Michael O'Leary warned of a "bloodbath" during the winter from which only two or three low-cost airlines would emerge, the expectation being that these would be Ryanair and EasyJet
EasyJet

EasyJet Airline Company Limited, styled as easyJet, is an airline based at London Luton Airport . It carries the most passengers of any United Kingdom airline, operating domestic and international scheduled services on 387 routes between 104 European and North African airports....
. A modest loss of
Euro

The euro is the official currency of 16 out of 27 European Union member state of the European Union . The states, known collectively as the Eurozone are: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain....
3.3 million in the second quarter of 2004 was the airline's first recorded loss for 15 years. However, the airline immediately bounced back to ever greater profits afterwards. The enlargement of the European Union
Enlargement of the European Union

Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union through the accession of new Member State of the European Union....
 on 01 May 2004, opened the way to more new routes as Ryanair and other budget airlines tapped the markets of the EU accession countries.

In February 2005, Ryanair announced an order for a further 70 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, along with an option
Option (aircraft purchasing)

An option, when purchasing aircraft, allows an airline to purchase additional aircraft in the future at an agreed price and date.When placing orders for new aircraft, airlines commonly obtain options from the aircraft manufacturer, for example Airbus or Boeing....
 for a further 70. This was expected at the time to allow Ryanair to increase passenger numbers from the 34 million expected in 2005 to 70 million in 2011. Some of these aircraft would be deployed at Ryanair's 12 European hubs, others to 10 new hubs the company intended to establish over the next seven years. In an example of the airline's relentless prioritising of cost over all other factors, the aircraft will be delivered without window shades (rumoured in media, although regulations of the Irish Aviation Authority mean that Ryanair's newest airplanes still do contain window blinds), seat back recline and seat back pockets, which result in savings of several hundred thousand dollars per aircraft and give continued savings through reduced cleaning and repair costs.

In June 2006, the company announced that in the quarter ending 30 June 2006, its average yields were 13% higher than the same quarter of the previous year and its passenger numbers were up by 25% to 10.7 million, although year-on-year comparison was difficult, because of the movement of Easter from first quarter 2005 to second quarter 2006. Net profits (€115.7m) increased by 80% over the same quarter in 2005. Management indicated that this level of growth may not be sustained for the remainder of this year, despite adding 27 new aircraft and opening new routes.

Ryanair's passenger numbers have grown by up to 25% a year for most of the last decade. Carrying under 0.7 million annually in its early years, passenger figures grew to 21.4 million in 2003. The rapid addition of new routes and new hubs has enabled this growth in passenger numbers and Ryanair is now among the largest carriers on European routes. In August 2004, the airline carried 20% more passengers within Europe than British Airways.

Ryanair posted record half-year profits of €329 million for the six months ending 30 September 2006. Over the same period, passenger traffic grew by more than a fifth to 22.1m passengers and revenues rose by a third to €1.256 billion.

Aer Lingus takeover bid

On 5 October 2006, Ryanair launched a €1.48bn (£1bn; $1.9bn) bid to buy fellow Irish carrier Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus is the flag carrier airline of Republic of Ireland. Based at Dublin Airport, it operates 46 Airbus aircraft serving Europe, Africa and North America....
. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said the move was a “unique opportunity” to form an Irish airline. The "new" airline would carry over 50 million passengers a year.

Aer Lingus floated on the Irish Stock Exchange
Irish Stock Exchange

The Irish Stock Exchange is Ireland's stock exchange, formed through the merger of the Cork and Dublin exchanges, both of which have existed as far back as 1793....
 on 2 October 2006, following a decision by the Irish government to sell more than 50% of its 85.1% share in the company. Workers retained a 15% stake. The shares began trading at €2.20 each, valuing the firm at €1.13bn. Ryanair said it had bought a 16% stake in Aer Lingus and was offering €2.80 per share for remaining shares. On the same day, Aer Lingus rejected Ryanair's takeover bid, saying the bid was contradictory. With a total of 47% of Aer Lingus in the hands of the Irish Government, the employee share ownership trust and other entities that publicly rejected the bid and a further 4% in the hands of the Bank of Ireland
Bank of Ireland

The Bank of Ireland is a commercial bank operation in Ireland, which is one of the 'Big Four ' in both parts of the island.Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, today Bank of Ireland is number two to Allied Irish Banks....
 and AIB
Allied Irish Banks

Allied Irish Banks p.l.c. is a major commercial bank based in Ireland. AIB is one of the so called Big Four commercial banks in Ireland. The bank has one of the largest branch networks in Ireland; only Bank of Ireland fully rivals it....
, who were considered highly unlikely to sell, the takeover bid was effectively dead. The Ryanair website described the attempted take over as, "In October...we make an all cash offer for the small regional airline, Aer Lingus".

2007


Fourth quarter 2006 profits far exceeded analyst expectations and over the period from October 2006 to February 2007, the stock rose by some 50%. The press suggested that Ryanair is now selling on its 737-800s at higher prices than the cost of acquisition from Boeing. They also noted that average fares keep increasing.

In January, following a BBC investigation, Ryanair conceded that a claim it had cut its CO2
Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalent bond to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state....
 emissions by half in recent years was "an error".

In the meantime, Ryanair started its flight operations to the island of Malta
Malta

Malta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed country European microstates microstate in the European Union....
, from Dublin, Luton and Pisa. New bases have been created at Bremen
Bremen Airport

Bremen Airport or Flughafen Bremen serves the city of Bremen, Germany....
 (April), Weeze (June), Bristol
Bristol Airport

Bristol Airport may refer to:* Bristol International Airport, serving Bristol, England, United Kingdom .* Bristol Airport , in Bristol, New Brunswick, Canada ....
 (November), Alicante
Alicante Airport

Alicante International Airport , , originally named El Altet, is the main airport for the province of Alicante and the region of Region of Murcia in Spain....
, Valencia
Valencia Airport

Valencia Airport in Manises is the 8th busiest Spain airport in terms of passengers and second in the region after Alicante. It is situated 9km west of the city of Valencia, Spain....
 and Belfast George Best
George Best Belfast City Airport

George Best Belfast City Airport is an airport in Belfast, County Down, Northern Ireland. The airport has a single runway operation. Situated adjacent to the Port of Belfast it is from Belfast City Centre....
.

In May, Ryanair launched BING. This application brings daily fare specials to the user's computer.

On 16 May, Ryanair launched a seat sale with fees, taxes and charges waived. A small number of destinations, including Dublin, were offered with 1 million seats for 1 penny or 1 Euro cent. Ryanair's website crashed, as it received four million hits from bargain hunters. The sale lasted until the following Monday, with just over half a million free seats taken up.

On 18 July, the British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)

The Advertising Standards Authority is the independent self-regulatory organisation of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation....
 ordered Ryanair not to repeat a claim that airline industry "accounts for just 2% of carbon dioxide emissions". The ASA ruled it breached rules on truthfulness by not explaining the figure was based on global, rather than UK emissions (which are 5.5% of the total) and exclude incoming flight figures.

In August, the company announced it would start charging passengers to check-in at the airport, therefore reversing its policy of paying for online check-in. It says that by cutting airport check-in it reduces overhead costs.

New long haul airline

Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary, stated in April 2007 that Ryanair plans to launch a new long haul airline around 2009. The new airline would be separate from Ryanair and operate under a different branding. It would offer both low cost and a first class service, intended to rival airlines like Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic Airways

Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. is a United Kingdom airline owned by Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines . It operates between the United Kingdom and North America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia from main bases at London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport....
. The new airline would operate from Ryanair's existing bases in Europe, to approximately six new bases in the United States. The new American bases will not be main hubs such as New York's JFK airport, but smaller airports located outside major cities. It is planned that the new airline will eventually operate a fleet of 40 to 50 new Airbus A350 XWB or Boeing 787
Boeing 787

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a mid-sized, Wide-body aircraft, twinjet jet airliner currently under development by Boeing Commercial Airplanes....
 aircraft. Since the Boeing 787 is sold out of production, until at least 2012 and the Airbus A350 XWB will not enter service until 2013, this would contribute a delay to the airline's launch. It was not stated if other aircraft would be operated in the interim. O'Leary indicated that he intends to purchase the aircraft, when market prices for new aircraft recede, according to demand. It is said that the name of the new Airline will be RyanAtlantic
RyanAtlantic

RyanAtlantic is the proposed name for a Long-haul flights airline version of Ryanair. According to Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary , the airline could be operational by 2009....
 and will sell tickets through the Ryanair website under an alliance agreement.

2008


On 31 August 2008 the Sunday Times
The Sunday Times

The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times ...
 reported that Ryanair was saving money by pressuring pilots to limit their discretionary fuel reserves. The discretionary reserves are in addition to the legal requirement for 5% extra fuel to be carried as a contingency, plus adequate fuel reserves to divert to an alternative airport, plus enough fuel to hold for 30 minutes at the destination airport. Ryanair has already suffered one incident in the past three years due to a low fuel situation.

In October, Ryanair withdrew operations from a base in Europe for the first time. Ryanair was unable to reach agreement with the local authorities in Valencia, Spain, thus terminating many of its Valencia services after a year of operation, though some routes still remain open. It is estimated the closure cost 750 jobs.

In November, Ryanair announced that they were planning to offer United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 bound flights for around 10 euros by the end of 2009. Such a move would still need to be negotiated and the relevant permissions obtained.

In December, Ryanair carried out its threat to close all its routes to and from Fuerteventura, in the Canary Islands.

Second Aer Lingus takeover bid

On 1 December 2008, Ryanair launched a second takeover bid of fellow Irish airline, Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus is the flag carrier airline of Republic of Ireland. Based at Dublin Airport, it operates 46 Airbus aircraft serving Europe, Africa and North America....
. Offering an all-cash offer of
Euro

The euro is the official currency of 16 out of 27 European Union member state of the European Union . The states, known collectively as the Eurozone are: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain....
748 million (£
Pound sterling

----The pound sterling , subdivided into 100 pence , is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependency and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory....
619mil; $
United States dollar

The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States and was defined by the Coinage Act of 1792 to be between 371 and 416 grains of silver ....
950mil). The offer was a 28% premium on the value of Aer Lingus stock, during the preceding 30 days. Ryanair said, "Aer Lingus, as a small, stand alone, regional airline, has been marginalised and bypassed, as most other EU flag carriers consolidate." The two airlines would operate separately. Ryanair stated that they would double the Aer Lingus short haul fleet from 33 to 66 and create 1,000 new jobs. The Aer Lingus Board rejected the offer and advised its shareholder
Shareholder

A mutual shareholder or stockholder is an individual or company that legally owns one or more share s of stock in a joint stock company....
s to take no action. On 22 January 2009, Ryanair walked away from the Aer Lingus takeover bid after it was rejected by the Irish Government on the grounds that it undervalued the airline and would harm competition.

2009


On 21 February 2009 it was confirmed by Ryanair that they were planning to close all check-in desks by the start of 2010. Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's chief executive said that passengers will be able to leave their luggage at a bag drop but otherwise everything will be done online.

During a live BBC News interview on 27 February 2009 Michael O'Leary stated that Ryanair was considering charging passengers £1 ($1.40) to use the lavatory on their flights. The story subsequently made headlines in other media throughout the day but a spokesperson for Ryanair later played down the idea, saying: "I don't think it's going to happen in the foreseeable future". This statement was contradicted, however, on March 4, 2009. O'Leary insisted that he was serious when making that comment. However, Michael O'Leary later did admit that it was a PR stunt.

Criticism

Ryanair has been criticised for some of its practices. Ryanair was voted the "least favourite airline" in a 2006 poll by TripAdvisor, with rival low cost airline easyJet
EasyJet

EasyJet Airline Company Limited, styled as easyJet, is an airline based at London Luton Airport . It carries the most passengers of any United Kingdom airline, operating domestic and international scheduled services on 387 routes between 104 European and North African airports....
 second. One reason cited, relative to other airlines, was unfriendly and complacent staff. Critics have attacked its hidden "taxes", fees and limited customer services and charged that it practises deceptive advertising
Advertising

Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to Purchasing or to consume more of a particular brand of Product or Service ....
. In November 2006, it was revealed as the subject of more complaints than any other airline in the EU. Sixty per cent of all complaints to Ireland's Commission for Aviation Regulation were about Ryanair, amounting to four complaints per million passengers per year. Despite their unpopularity, Ryanair continued to grow their passenger numbers, year on year and carried 58 million passengers in 2008.

Advertising


Controversial advertising
Ryanair's advertising is deliberately controversial, in order to generate additional free publicity for the airline. This has led to a number of complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority
Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)

The Advertising Standards Authority is the independent self-regulatory organisation of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation....
 (ASA) and occasionally court action being taken against the airline..

One of their advertisements used a picture of the Manneken Pis
Manneken Pis

Manneken Pis , also known in French language as the petit Julien, is a very famous Brussels landmark. It is a small bronze fountain sculpture depicting a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin....
, a famous Belgian statue of a urinating urchin, with the words: "Pissed off with Sabena
Sabena

SABENA was the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001, with its base at Brussels Airport. After its bankruptcy in 2001, the newly-formed SN Brussels Airlines took over part of SABENA's assets in February 2002, which then became Brussels Airlines....
's high fares? Low fares have arrived in Belgium." Sabena sued and the court ruled that the advertisements were misleading and offensive. Ryanair was ordered to discontinue the advertisements immediately or face fines. Ryanair was also obliged to publish an apology and publish the court decision on their website. Ryanair used the apologies for further advertising, primarily for further price comparisons.

Another of their advertisements featured a model dressed as a schoolgirl, accompanied by the words "Hottest back to school fares". Ryanair ran the advertisement in two Scottish and one UK-wide newspaper. After receiving 13 complaints, the advertisement was widely reported by national newspapers, generating more free publicity for the airline. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) instructed them to withdraw the advert in the United Kingdom, saying that it "appeared to link teenage girls with sexually provocative behaviour and was irresponsible and likely to cause serious or widespread offence". Ryanair said that they would "not be withdrawing this ad" and would "not provide the ASA with any of the undertakings they seek", on the basis that they found it absurd that "a picture of a fully clothed model is now claimed to cause 'serious or widespread offence', when many of the UK's leading daily newspapers regularly run pictures of topless or partially dressed females without causing any serious or widespread offence".

Misleading advertising
Ryanair was ordered by the ASA to stop claiming that its flights from London to Brussels are faster than the rail connection Eurostar
Eurostar

Eurostar is a high-speed train service in Western Europe connecting London and Kent in the United Kingdom, with Paris and Lille in France, and Brussels in Belgium....
, on the grounds that the claim was misleading, due to required travel times to the airports mentioned. Ryanair stood by its claims, noting that their flight is shorter than the train trip and that travel time is also required to reach Eurostar's train stations.

In April 2008, Ryanair faced a probe by the UK Office of Fair Trading
Office of Fair Trading

The Office of Fair Trading is a non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's Economic regulation....
, after a string of complaints about its adverts. It was found to have breached advertising rules seven times in two years. ASA's director general Christopher Graham commented that formal referrals to the OFT were rare, the last occurring in 2005. He added that the ASA "would prefer to work with advertisers within the self-regulatory system rather than call in a statutory body, but Ryanair's approach has left us with no option." Ryanair countered with the claim that the ASA had "demonstrated a repeated lack of independence, impartiality and fairness".

Customer service


Ryanair has been criticised for many aspects of its customer service. The Economist
The Economist

The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international relations publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in London....
 newspaper wrote that Ryanair's "cavalier treatment of passengers" had given Ryanair "a deserved reputation for nastiness" and that the airline "has become a byword for appalling customer service ... and jeering rudeness towards anyone or anything that gets in its way". In 2002, the High Court in Dublin awarded Jane O'Keefe €67,500 damages and her costs after Ryanair reneged on a free travel prize she was awarded for being the airline's 1 millionth passenger.

The airline has come under heavy criticism in the past, for its poor treatment of disabled passengers. In 2002, it refused to provide wheelchair
Wheelchair

A wheelchair is a wheeled mobility device in which the user sits. The device is propelled either manually or via various automated systems. Wheelchairs are used by people for whom walking is difficult or impossible due to illness , injury, or disability....
s for disabled passengers at London Stansted Airport
London Stansted Airport

London Stansted Airport is a passenger airport located in the Uttlesford District of the England county of Essex, north-east of central London....
, greatly angering disabled rights groups. The airline argued that this provision was the responsibility of the airport authority, stating that wheelchairs were provided by 80 of the 84 Ryanair destination airports, at that time. A court ruling in 2004 judged that the responsibility should be shared by the airline and the airport owners; Ryanair responded by adding a surcharge of £0.50 to all its flight costs.

Ryanair does not offer customers the possibility of contacting them by email or webform
Form (web)

A webform on a web page allows a user to enter data that is sent to a Server for processing. Webforms resemble form because internet users fill out the forms using checkboxes, radio buttons, or menus....
, only through a premium rate phone line, by fax or by post. An Early day motion
Early day motion

An early day motion , in the Westminster system, is a motion tabled by Member of Parliament for debate "on an early day". They are only very rarely debated on the floor of the Chamber of the House....
 in the British Parliament put forward in 2006 criticised Ryanair for this reason and called on the company to provide customers with a means to contact the company by e-mail. Some people claim that Ryanair is therefore flouting UK E-commerce Regulations, which state that the email address of the service provider must be given.

Dispatches programme on safety

On 13 February 2006, Channel 4
Channel 4

Channel 4 is a UK Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom television broadcaster which began transmissions on 2 November 1982. Although commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the #Channel Four Television...
 broadcast a documentary as part of its Dispatches
Dispatches (TV series)

Dispatches is the British television current affairs documentary film series on Channel 4, first transmitted in 1987.The programme covers issues about United Kingdom society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the Natural environment....
 series, "Ryanair caught napping". Two undercover reporters obtained jobs as cabin crew, based at Ryanair's operations at London Stansted Airport and secretly recorded the training programme and cabin crew procedures. The documentary criticised Ryanair's training policies, security procedures, aircraft hygiene and highlighted poor staff morale. It filmed Ryanair cabin crew sleeping on the job; using aftershave to cover the smell of vomit
Vomiting

Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Undesired vomiting may result from many causes, ranging from gastritis or poisoning to brain tumors, or elevated intracranial pressure....
 in the aisle, rather than cleaning it up; ignoring warning alerts on the emergency slide; encouraging staff to falsify references for airport security passes; and asking staff not to recheck passengers' passports before they board flights. Staff in training were falsely told that any Boeing 737-200
Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow-body aircraft jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower cost twin engine airliner derived from Boeing's Boeing 707 and Boeing 727, the 737 has nine variants, from the early -100 to the most recent and largest, the -900....
 (now no longer in service with Ryanair) impact would result in the death of the passenger sitting in seat 1A and that they should not pass this information on to the passenger.

Ryanair denied the allegations and published its correspondence with Dispatches on its website. It claims to have forwarded all twenty allegations to both the UK and Republic of Ireland aviation authorities, both of whom agreed that there was no substance to them. It also alleged that the programme was misleading and that promotional materials, in particular a photograph of a stewardess sleeping, had been faked by Dispatches. Following the documentary, Ryanair launched new services and a free flights offer.

Hidden charges

Ryanair has been described by the consumer magazine, Holiday Which?, as being the "worst offender" for adding extra charges to tickets. These hidden charges include airport taxes
Airport Improvement Fee

An Airport Improvement Fee or Embarkation Fee or Airport Tax or Service charge or Service fee is an additional fee charged to departing and connecting passengers at an airport....
, a fee to use airport check-in facilities, a charge for each piece of luggage checked in and additional debit and credit card surcharges of €5 charged per passenger, per one-way flight, rather than a single per transaction fee. Ryanair was set a deadline of 31 January 2008, by the British Office of Fair Trading
Office of Fair Trading

The Office of Fair Trading is a non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's Economic regulation....
, to include these charges in headline prices, but failed to meet it, even after an upgrade of its web site on 25 February 2008. Since introducing a system upgrade, Ryanair reported a slow reservation system, that has led to all fares reverting to being shown excluding taxes and charges, since 25 June 2008.

Environmental concerns

Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's CEO, said that a recession would put an end to the "environmental bullshit among the chattering classes that has allowed Gordon Brown to double air passenger duty. We need a recession if we are going to see off some of this environmental nonsense."

Ryanair's general stance on environmental matters has led a UK government minister to label the airline the "irresponsible face of capitalism", in early 2007.

Allegations of constructive dismissal

Joe Peard, a former pilot for the airline, is claiming constructive dismissal
Constructive dismissal

In employment law, constructive dismissal, also called constructive discharge, is where an employee resignation because of their employer behaviour....
 from Ryanair. He claims he was repeatedly denied promotions unless he put in writing that he drop legal claims he was making.

Competitors

Ryanair now has a number of low-cost
Low-cost carrier

A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that offers generally low fares in exchange for eliminating many traditional passenger services....
 competitors
List of low-cost airlines

The following is a list of low cost carriers organized by home country....
. In 2004, approximately 60 new low-cost airlines were formed. Although traditionally a full-service airline, Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus is the flag carrier airline of Republic of Ireland. Based at Dublin Airport, it operates 46 Airbus aircraft serving Europe, Africa and North America....
 moved to a low-fares strategy from 2002, leading to a much more intense competition with Ryanair on Irish routes.

Airlines which attempt to compete directly with Ryanair are treated harshly, with Ryanair reducing fares to significantly undercut their competitors. In response to MyTravelLite, who started to compete with Ryanair on the Birmingham to Dublin route in 2003, Ryanair set up competing flights on some of MyTravelLite's routes until they pulled out. Go
Go Fly

Go Fly was the name of an award-winning British airline, trading as "Go", which was purchased by easyJet in May 2002 for the equivalent of $545 million....
 was another airline, which attempted to offer services from Ryanair's hub at Dublin to Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland. A fierce battle ensued, which ended with Go withdrawing its service from Dublin.

In September 2004, Ryanair's biggest competitor, EasyJet
EasyJet

EasyJet Airline Company Limited, styled as easyJet, is an airline based at London Luton Airport . It carries the most passengers of any United Kingdom airline, operating domestic and international scheduled services on 387 routes between 104 European and North African airports....
, announced routes to the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland

Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
 for the first time, beginning with the Cork to London Gatwick route. Until then, easyJet had never competed directly with Ryanair on its home ground. Easyjet announced in July 2006, that it was withdrawing its Gatwick-Cork, Gatwick-Shannon and Gatwick-Knock services; within two weeks, Ryanair also announced it would withdraw its own service on the Gatwick-Knock and Luton-Shannon routes.

Ryanair has asked the high court to investigate why it has been refused permission to fly from Knock to Dublin. This route was won by CityJet, which was unable to operate the service. The runner up, Aer Arann
Aer Arann

Aer Arann is a regional airline based in Dublin, Ireland. They operate scheduled service on 40 different routes between Republic of Ireland, France, and the United Kingdom....
, was then allowed to start flights, a move Ryanair criticises on the basis that not initiating an additional tender process was unlawful.

DFDS Seaways
DFDS

DFDS A/S, an abbreviation of Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab is a Denmark shipping company. It is one of the world's largest ferry operators....
 cited competition from low-cost air services, especially Ryanair, which now flies to Glasgow Prestwick Airport and London Stansted Airport
London Stansted Airport

London Stansted Airport is a passenger airport located in the Uttlesford District of the England county of Essex, north-east of central London....
 from Gothenburg City Airport
Gothenburg City Airport

Gothenburg City Airport or G?teborg City Airport , formerly known as S?ve Flygplats, is Gothenburg's second international airport located 14 kilometres north-west from the centre of Gothenburg on the island of Hisingen, Bohusl?n, Sweden....
, as the reason for scrapping the Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne is a City status in the United Kingdom and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Situated on the north bank of the River Tyne, the city developed from a Roman Empire settlement called Pons Aelius, though it owes its name to the Newcastle Castle built in 1080, by Robert Curthose, the eldest son of...
-Gothenburg
Gothenburg

Gothenburg ) is the second largest city in Sweden after Stockholm and the fifth largest amongst the Nordic countries. The city is located on the south west-coast....
 ferry service in October 2006. It was the only dedicated passenger ferry service between Sweden and the United Kingdom and had been running since the 19th century, under various operators.

Choosing destinations


Ryanair negotiates extremely aggressive contracts with its airports, demanding very low landing and handling fees, as well as financial assistance with marketing and promotional campaigns. In subsequent contract renewal negotiations, the airline plays airports off against each other, threatening to withdraw services and deploy the aircraft elsewhere, if the airport does not make further concessions. In April 2006, a failure to reach agreement on a new commercial contract resulted in Ryanair announcing that it would withdraw service on the Dublin–Cardiff route at short notice. The airport management rebutted Ryanair's assertion that airport charges were unreasonably high, noting that the Cardiff charges were already below Ryanair's average and claimed that Ryanair had recently adopted the same negotiating approach with Cork Airport and London Stansted Airport
London Stansted Airport

London Stansted Airport is a passenger airport located in the Uttlesford District of the England county of Essex, north-east of central London....
s. Ryanair was forced to give up its Rome Ciampino–Alghero
Alghero

Alghero , is a town of about 42,000 inhabitants in Italy. It lies in the Provinces of Italy of Province of Sassari in north-western Sardinia....
 route, after the route was allocated to Air One
Air One

Air One S.p.A., a part of Alitalia, is an airline based in Rome, Italy. It operates a high-frequency scheduled network to 36 destinations in Italy, Europe and North America....
, as a Public Service Obligation (PSO)
Public Service Obligation

In transport, public service obligation or PSO is an arrangement in which a governing body or other authority offers an auction for subsidy, permit the winning company a monopoly to operate a specified service of public transport for a specified period of time for the given subsidy....
 route. The European Commission
European Commission

The European Commission is the executive of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Treaties of the European Union and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
 is investigating the actions of the Italian Government in assigning PSO routes and thus restricting competition
Competition

Competition is a rivalry between individuals, groups, nations, or animals, for territory, a niche, or allocation of resources. It arises whenever two or more parties strive for a goal which cannot be shared....
.

Destinations



Fleet

As of May 2008, the Ryanair fleet consists of the following aircraft:

Ryanair Fleet
AircraftTotal In ServiceOrdersOptions
Option (aircraft purchasing)

An option, when purchasing aircraft, allows an airline to purchase additional aircraft in the future at an agreed price and date.When placing orders for new aircraft, airlines commonly obtain options from the aircraft manufacturer, for example Airbus or Boeing....
Passengers
Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737 Next Generation

The Boeing 737 Next Generation is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Boeing 737 Classic series....
181150170189


As of May 2008, the Ryanair fleet average age was 2.9 years. All aircraft in the Ryanair fleet have either been retro-fitted with performance enhancing winglets or the more recent deliveries have them fitted as standard.

  • Various liveries
    Livery

    A livery is a uniform or other insignia or symbol worn in a non-military context on a person or object to denote a relationship with a person or corporate body, often by using elements of the heraldry relating to that person or body, or a personal emblem, and normally given by them....
    :
    Standard new livery: EI-DCB
    Standard old livery: EI-CSN
    Dreamliner scheme: EI-DCL
    Pride of Scotland: EI-DAO
    Nein Zum Lufthansa
    Lufthansa

    Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft is one of the List of largest airlines in Europe airlines in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried, and the flag carrier of Germany....
     Kerosinzuschlag: EI-DAD
    Say NO to BA
    British Airways

    British Airways plc is an airline of the United Kingdom. The airline has the largest fleet of aircraft of any United Kingdom airline, but is only second in terms of international passengers carried....
     fuel Levy
    Fossil Fuel Levy

    The Fossil Fuel Levy is a levy paid by suppliers of electricity from non-renewable energy sources in the United Kingdom. The costs are passed to consumers in the cost of the electricity supplied....
    : EI-CTB
    Arrivederci Alitalia
    Alitalia

    AlitaliaCompagnia Aerea Italiana S.p.A. , is an Italian airline. It has bought some assets of Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. . Headquartered in Rome, it operates services to 24 domestic and 66 international destinations....
    : EI-CSZ
    Bye Bye SkyEurope
    SkyEurope

    SkyEurope Airlines is a low-cost airline headquartered in Bratislava, with its main base at M. R. ?tef?nik Airport in Bratislava, Slovakia, and other bases in Prague, Vienna and Ko?ice....
    : EI-DLF
    Nyköping
    Nyköping Municipality

    Nyk?ping Municipality is a municipalities of Sweden in S?dermanland County in southeast Sweden. Its seat is located in the city status in Sweden of Nyk?ping....
    : EI-CSV
    Catalunya: EI-CSW
    Zegnamy PLL LOT
    LOT Polish Airlines

    Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A., trading as LOT Polish Airlines or LOT , is the flag carrier of Poland, based in Warsaw. The name Polskie Linie Lotnicze means "Polish Airlines" in Polish, while lot means "flight"....
    : EI-DLG
    Bye Bye Latehansa
    Lufthansa

    Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft is one of the List of largest airlines in Europe airlines in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried, and the flag carrier of Germany....
     : EI-DLM
    Bye Bye Baby
    Bmibaby

    bmibaby is a United Kingdom low-cost airline and a subsidiary of BMI . It flies to destinations in Europe from its main bases at East Midlands Airport, Manchester Airport, Cardiff International Airport, and Birmingham International Airport ....
     : EI-DLN
    Bye Bye EasyJet
    EasyJet

    EasyJet Airline Company Limited, styled as easyJet, is an airline based at London Luton Airport . It carries the most passengers of any United Kingdom airline, operating domestic and international scheduled services on 387 routes between 104 European and North African airports....
     : EI-DLO
    City of Nyköping
    Nyköping

    Nyk?ping is a cities in Sweden in S?dermanland, Sweden and the seat of Nyk?ping Municipality. The city is also the capital of S?dermanland County....
     : EI-DAF


Future purchases

In August 2008, Ryanair confirmed that they were in talks with Boeing
Boeing

The Boeing Company is a major aerospace and defense corporation, originally founded by William Edward Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997....
 and Airbus
Airbus

Airbus Soci?t? par actions simplifi?e is an Aerospace manufacturer subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Toulouse, France, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
 about an order, which could include up to 400 aircraft. Even though Ryanair has dealt with Boeing aircraft up to this point, Michael O'Leary said "it is also manageable for us to give the order to Airbus." The aircraft from this order could start being delivered in 2013, as soon as the current order book expires. The impact of the order would depend on the pace at which the aircraft are delivered.

In February 2009, Airbus
Airbus

Airbus Soci?t? par actions simplifi?e is an Aerospace manufacturer subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Toulouse, France, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
 said they had no plans to enter a costly and time-consuming sales campaign with Ryanair, due to the large discounts demanded by the airline.

Past fleet

Ryanair has operated the following types of aircraft:
  • Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante
    Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante

    The Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante is a general purpose 15-21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft suitable for military and Civil aviation duties....
     (1985-1989)
  • Avro 748
    Avro 748

    The Hawker Siddeley HS 748 is a medium-sized turboprop airliner originally designed by Avro in the late 1950s as a replacement for the now-aged DC-3s then in widespread service as feederliners....
     (1986-1989)
  • BAC One-Eleven
    BAC One-Eleven

    The British Aircraft Corporation One-Eleven, also known as the BAC 1-11, the BAC-111 or the BAC-1-11, was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s....
     (1987-1994)
  • ATR-42 (1989-1991)
  • Boeing 737-200 (1994-2005)


In-flight services

Ryanair offers food and drinks for purchase as part of a buy on board
Buy on board

Buy on board is a concept in commercial flight, where food and/or beverages are paid for on board; often food and/or beverages are not included in the ticket price for certain fare classes....
 programme.

Accidents and incidents

  • On 27 February 2002, Ryanair Flight 296, from Dublin
    Dublin Airport

    Dublin Airport , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, it is by far the busiest airport in Ireland - over 23.3 million passengers passed through the airport in 2007....
     to London Stansted
    London Stansted Airport

    London Stansted Airport is a passenger airport located in the Uttlesford District of the England county of Essex, north-east of central London....
    , was evacuated shortly after landing in Stansted, because airport personnel believed that one of the engines was on fire. The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch
    Air Accidents Investigation Branch

    The Air Accidents Investigation Branch investigates air accidents in the United Kingdom. It is a branch of the Department for Transport and is based at Farnborough Airfield in Farnborough, Hampshire, Hampshire, England....
     concluded that the release of oil from a broken engine bearing into the path of hot gas had caused the smoke and that there were no signs of fire damage. The investigation also found that although the aircraft was fully evacuated within 90 seconds, some members of the cabin crew struggled to open the emergency doors and had to be assisted by off-duty cabin crew traveling as passengers. Some passengers attempted to evacuate onto the right wing of the aircraft, before being turned back by firefighters. The investigation found that during training, cabin crew were informed that in an emergency, the doors are more difficult to open due to the need to activate the evacuation slides, but the majority of trainees never experienced the pressure needed. The investigation also made several recommendations to the Civil Aviation Authority, on how to better handle similar incidents in the future.
  • On 10 November 2008, Ryanair Flight 4102, from Frankfurt-Hahn Airport
    Frankfurt-Hahn Airport

    Frankfurt-Hahn Airport is a commercial airport located from the town of Kirchberg and from the town of Simmern in the Rhein-Hunsrueck district of Rhineland-Palatinate to the west of central Germany....
    , suffered undercarriage damage in an emergency landing at Rome Ciampino Airport, after experiencing multiple bird strike
    Bird strike

    A bird strike is a collision between an airborne animal and a man-made vehicle, especially aircraft. It is a common threat to aircraft safety, and has caused a number of fatal accidents....
    s, which damaged both engines on approach. There were 6 crew and 166 passengers on board. Two crew and eight passengers were taken to hospital with minor injuries. The port undercarriage of the Boeing 737-8AS
    Boeing 737

    The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow-body aircraft jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower cost twin engine airliner derived from Boeing's Boeing 707 and Boeing 727, the 737 has nine variants, from the early -100 to the most recent and largest, the -900....
     collapsed, leaving the aircraft stranded on the runway and closing the airport for over 35 hours. As well as damage to the engines and undercarriage, the rear fuselage was also damaged by contact with the runway. Ryanair thanked the crew of Flight 4102 and praised their skill and professionalism, at a dinner held in Frankfurt.


See also

  • List of airlines
    List of airlines

    This is a list of airlines in operation, arranged alphabetically by country within their respective continents....
  • List of companies of Ireland
  • List of low-cost airlines
    List of low-cost airlines

    The following is a list of low cost carriers organized by home country....
  • RyanAtlantic
    RyanAtlantic

    RyanAtlantic is the proposed name for a Long-haul flights airline version of Ryanair. According to Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary , the airline could be operational by 2009....
    , upcoming long-haul, low-cost Ryanair subsidiary.


Further reading


External links

  • - A site critical of Ryanair