Ryanair September traffic rises 4% as 1,000 flights cancelled

Ryanair carried more than 20.1 million passengers in September, up 4% on the same month a year earlier, the carrier said.

It cancelled 1,000 flights during the month, which it blamed on air traffic control disruption in the UK, strike action in Belgium and volcanic eruptions at Mount Etna.

The traffic figure came weeks after Ryanair cut its outlook for the year. On 2 September it lowered its passenger target for the 12 months to 31 March 2027 to 214 million, from 216 million previously, reflecting a reduced growth forecast of 3% for the year, down from 4%.

The airline also said then that net profit for fiscal 2027 would come in below the record 2.26 billion euros, or 2.61 billion dollars, in post-tax profit reported for fiscal 2026. In the first quarter, ended 30 June, net profit fell by more than a third, which the carrier linked to high jet fuel prices and its unhedged fuel position.

Ryanair has hedged 80% of its fuel needs through March 2027 at roughly 67 dollars per barrel, leaving the remaining 20% exposed to spot prices that have been trading near 140 dollars per barrel.

To limit those unhedged costs over the weaker winter months, it is cutting capacity. The airline expects traffic between November 2026 and March 2027 to be broadly level with a year earlier. The one-off reduction to the winter schedule is projected to cut winter losses by 70 million euros.

For the summer peak running from April to October 2026, Ryanair still expects a 5% increase in traffic, taking it to 145 million passengers.