Ryanair will have more capacity and lower fares at Dublin Airport this Christmas due to the suspension of the passenger cap, according to group chief executive Michael O'Leary.
Citing new aircraft stationed at Shannon and Cork Airports this winter, Mr O'Leary said "these are very exciting times for potential growth in Ireland" - but he said a permanent resolution of the cap issue would be needed for it to continue to grow capacity next year.
"We'll have lower fares for families reuniting at Christmas time, but we want to continue that into summer 2026 and the winter of '26, when we’re taking delivery of new aircraft," Mr O'Leary told RTÉ News.
"We want to base more of these aircraft in Dublin but at the moment, while there’s a cap, we can't," he added.
The Dublin Airport passenger cap is currently suspended on the back of a High Court case taken by Ryanair and Aer Lingus, with some issues relating to the case referred to the European Court of Justice.
Mr O'Leary said the suspension of the cap was not enough for Ryanair to plan more capacity in Dublin next summer.
"We've no certainty," he said. "At the moment the cap is suspended for this winter – we look like it’s going to be suspended for next summer but this court case in Europe could be heard sometime in the summer of next year".
"We, I think, would be willing to take on that growth challenge but the American airlines – the long haul airlines – can’t and you can’t have this uncertainty over the main gateway into Ireland," he stated.
Removing the cap "as soon as possible" was included in the Programme for Government and, in September, it was reported that the drafting of legislation around its removal was due to begin in the near future.
Mr O'Leary called for this to be done immediately.
"Time for Micheál Martin and Simon Harris to stop talking about your Programme for Government and start implementing," he said. "We shouldn't have to wait a year or two years for a Government to implement its programme. Stop talking and start delivering."
His comments came as Ryanair reported forecast-beating six-month post-tax profit and nudged up its passenger traffic forecast after earlier than expected Boeing deliveries and strong first-half demand.
The airline, Europe's largest by passenger numbers, said it cautiously expects to recover all of last year's 7% average fare decline in its financial year to March 31, and that should lead to "reasonable" full-year net profit growth.
Ryanair expects to fly 207 million passengers to the end of March, up from a previous forecast of 206 million after it received 23 new MAX 8 aircraft from Boeing. Improved deliveries enabled it to add capacity for the current quarter.
The low-cost carrier said it is confident of receiving the six remaining MAX 8 aircraft from an order that had suffered long delays by February.
"They're [Boeing] doing a terrific job," Mr O'Leary said. "They left us 29 aircraft short this summer - they said they could deliver them in August, September, October and we said we'd take them.
"They've now delivered 23 of those 29 aircraft - we get two more in November, which takes it to 25, and then the last four are coming in January and Februrary - which is good news for us.
"It means we have the full fleet ready to go for next summer."
Ryanair's next order is for 150 of the new MAX 10 and with Boeing expecting to receive regulatory approval for the aircraft by mid-2026, with Ryanair planning to accelerate pilot recruitment in advance of the first deliveries due in early 2027.
Europe falling behind - O'Leary
Ryanair recently announced a reduction in capacity in Germany and Spain, citing unfavourable taxes and charges. It also recently warned that a hike in charges in England would stifle its growth there too.
Instead the airline has focused its growing capacity on regions which Mr O'Leary said have rowed back airline charges - particularly environmental taxes.
"We've added aircraft to four of the big Italian regions who’ve abolished their environmental taxes, we have a new base opening in Albania, in Tirana in December, they’ve abolished their environmental taxes," he said.
"We’ve put four aircraft up into Arlanda in Sweden – the home of Greta Thunberg – and yet they’ve worked out that actually it’s time to abolish environmental taxes. This was a country that five years ago was talking about flight shaming," he stated.
He also repeated his call for reform of Europe's Emissions Trading Scheme - which levies flights traveling within the region.
The charge does not apply to long-haul flights between other continents, however, which Mr O'Leary said puts Europe-focused operators at a competitive disadvantage.
He also Europe's lack of action on its competitiveness in general - saying that the recommendations of the Draghi report had so far been ignored.
"As the US moves forward improving its competitiveness, because they're leading on AI and IT – the Asians are improving competitiveness, Europe are just taxing ourselves out of existence," he said. "We need a new generation of politicians committed to growth – not politicians like [Ursula] Von Der Leyen or Rachel Reeves in the UK who talk about growth but can’t deliver it."
Ryanair has also called on Europe to take action against drones disruption airports and flights.
When asked for specific measures he would like to see taken, he said "shoot them down!"
"It's not complicated - you see a drone over an airport, you shoot the bloody thing down," he said. "We have balloons being floated over from the Belarus border into places like Estonia and Lthuania and they're closing airports because there's a couple of balloons up there.
"Shoot the bloody things down."
H1 profit up 42%
Ryanair reported a net profit of €2.54 billion for the six months to the end of September, which is when it typically makes most of its profit due to the northern hemisphere's busy summer holiday season.
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That was up 42% from €1.8 billion the same time last year and ahead of a Ryanair poll of analysts that had expected €2.5 billion euros. Average fares rose by 13% to €58 in the six month period, up from €52 the same time last year.
Revenues for the six month period increase by 13% from €8.69 billion to €9.82 billion. The airline said its ancillary revenue was "solid", rising 6% to €2.91 billion.
Ryanair said forward bookings were slightly up year-on-year for this quarter, including Christmas.
Analysts at JPMorgan said the "solid" outlook commentary should alleviate any concerns the market might have on winter demand for Ryanair amid market-wide capacity growth.
Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorahan said demand was weaker into November and required "a bit" of price stimulation but that demand was up marginally during the recent school mid-term holiday with forward bookings "slightly" ahead of the prior year, including for Christmas.
After previously hedging around 85% of its fuel needs for the year to the end of March at $76 per barrel, Ryanair said it took advantage of recent price dips to extend hedging for its 2027 fiscal year to cover 80% of its needs at just under $67 a barrel.
It said its average fare rose by 13% to €58 in the six month period, up from €52 the same time last year.
Shares in the airline moved higher Dublin trade today.
