Ryanair said it flew 15.9 million passengers in September, its third busiest month ever and up 13% on pre-Covid levels as the carrier consolidates its position as Europe's largest airline by passenger numbers.
The jump in traffic meant Ryanair also flew more passengers in September than in any of its busiest summer months before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
Until this year, its busiest month was August 2019 when it carried 14.9 million passengers.
The airline, which unlike many airlines kept its pilots and crew up-to-date with their flying hours during the pandemic to take advantage of the swift rebound this year, said it flew a record 16.9 million passengers in August.
The average proportion of empty seats per flight rose last month to 6%, up from 4% in August and 3% in September 2019.
Ryanair has said it expects to fly 166.5 million passengers in the year to the end of March, significantly ahead of its previous annual record of 149 million reached before the pandemic brought the travel industry to a standstill.
The airline said it operated a total of 88,850 flights in September.
So far this year, Ryanair has carried 153 million passengers, a jump of 209% on 49.5 million passengers it had carried the same time last year.
Ryanair shares ended higher in Dublin trade today.
Meanwhile, Ryanair has today announced a new route from Dublin to Cluj in Romania as part of its winter schedule.
It said the move follows Blue Air's recent suspension of this route.
"Ryanair is further building on our already extensive Dublin W22 schedule with the addition of our new Dublin to Cluj route, operating twice weekly from 1st November - just in time for those travelling home to Cluj to spend Christmas with friends and family but whose travel plans have been disrupted by Blue Air’s recent suspension of this route," said Ryanair's Jason McGuinness.
