Ryanair fears higher fuel bill and examines pay freeze
The Irish airline saw net profit fall by 6 per cent in the second quarter and is examining cost savings.
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Ryanair is examining temporary pay freezes and other cost savings because its fuel bill threatens to rise sharply. The airline reported on Monday that net profit in the quarter from July to September was 6 per cent lower than a year earlier.
According to Reuters, net profit in the second quarter came to €1.61 billion, compared with €1.72 billion a year earlier. Ryanair points to higher fuel costs and says it is reviewing all cost items, including pay.
The company expects its fuel bill for the financial year beginning in April 2027 to be around €2 billion higher. That figure is based on current forward prices and is therefore not a final bill.
According to Reuters, Ryanair had hedged around 80 per cent of its fuel needs through March 2027 at approximately $67 per barrel. For the following twelve months, 25 per cent was hedged at around $95 per barrel.
According to Ryanair, the airline also lowered its traffic target for the current year from 216 million to 214 million passengers. Ryanair expects winter traffic from November to March to remain roughly in line with the previous year.
For travellers, this does not automatically mean that tickets will become more expensive. Final prices also depend on competition, demand and the extent to which Ryanair passes costs on to customers. For employees, however, a temporary pay freeze is a concrete risk; for investors, uncertainty about earnings growth is increasing.
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Both sides of the figures
▲ Bright spots
- According to the reports, Ryanair still carried large numbers of passengers and is keeping winter traffic roughly stable.
- Around 80 per cent of fuel needs through March 2027 is hedged at approximately $67 per barrel.
▼ Concerns
- Net profit fell by 6 per cent to €1.61 billion in the July–September quarter.
- Ryanair expects fuel costs to be around €2 billion higher in the financial year beginning in April 2027 and is examining pay freezes.
Critical note
The profit figures are nominal and concern Ryanair, not household purchasing power or the profitability of the aviation sector as a whole. The higher fuel bill is an estimate based on forward prices; ticket prices and final profit remain uncertain.
Who notices what
- Workers
- Ryanair is examining temporary pay freezes and other cost measures.
- Businesses
- Higher fuel costs could put margins and capacity in European aviation under pressure.
- Households
- Ticket prices may change, but the company has not yet said how much of the costs will be passed on to travellers.
- Investors
- Lower profit and the lack of complete certainty about future fuel costs increase uncertainty about results.
Every point comes from the article’s sources and was included in the fact check.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The profit figures, fuel hedging and forecast were checked against Reuters reports. The text makes clear which amounts are estimates and avoids making a prediction about ticket prices.
- confirmed Ryanair's net profit fell from €1.72 billion to €1.61 billion in the July–September quarter. — Reuters reports these quarterly figures. source
- confirmed Ryanair is examining temporary pay freezes. — Reuters quotes the company's cost review. source
- confirmed Ryanair expects fuel costs to be around €2 billion higher in the financial year beginning in April 2027. — Reuters reports this estimate based on current forward prices. source
Editor's note
The figures come from Reuters reports on Ryanair's quarterly results and fuel hedging. The expected higher fuel bill is a calculation based on forward prices, not an actual expenditure.Sources
- Ryanair says it might freeze pay, cut other costs to offset high fuel prices — Reuters
- Ryanair warns of €2 bln higher fuel bill next year as H1 profit falls 15% — Reuters via Investing.com
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „ryanair luchtvaart”
- NU.nl — „ryanair luchtvaart”
- De Telegraaf — „ryanair luchtvaart”