Ryanair axes 800 flights due to Middle East conflict
Ryanair has said it axed more than 800 flights last month due to the conflict in the Middle East, even as monthly passenger traffic edged up.
Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers on Wednesday reported a three per cent year-on-year increase in traffic in June to 19.9m.
Wizz Air, another budget airline with high exposure to the Middle East, also reported a rise in total monthly traffic, which jumped 4.7 per cent to 5.9m on the prior year.
Conflict in the Middle East has forced Ryanair and Wizz into thousands of flight cancellations since the October 7th attacks on Israel in 2023.
Tensions in the region peaked last month after Israel launched a surprise missile attack on key military and nuclear facilities in Iran. President Donald Trump subsequently ordered US strikes against Iran’s three nuclear sites, Natanz, Isfahan and Fordo.
A string of European airlines, including Germany’s Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, and Ryanair, have all intermittently suspended flights to Tel Aviv over the summer.
Wizz Air and Ryanair continue to grow
Wizz Air was already under immense pressure prior to last month’s escalation of tensions and has operated an intermittent service to Israel throughout 2025.
Shares tanked in early June as its chief executive József Váradi warned of a “lack of visibility” for the year ahead.
Still, the company’s passenger traffic has continued to grow. Wizz Air carried 5.9m passengers during the month of June, a 10.8 per cent increase year on year.
Seat capacity increased 10.4 per cent year on year, resulting in a load factor of 92.1 per cent, up 0.4ppt on last year’s load factor of 91.7 per cent.
Ryanair’s rolling passenger total for this year reached 202.6m by June, up seven per cent year-on-year at a load factor of 94 per cent.
It reported a 16 per cent decline in post-tax profit to €1.61bn (£1.4bn) over the 12 months ended 31 March, despite record passenger traffic.