Ryanair maintains forecast for return to profitability

RYANAIR has maintained its forecast of returning to profitability in its current financial year, after recording an 80% year-on-year jump in net profit for its first half.

Pre-tax profit for the six months to the end of September amounted to €432.9 million (up from €224.5m for the corresponding period last year) and net after-tax profit was up from €373.5m to €387m.

There were also healthy year-on-year increases for earnings per share and passenger numbers for the period, with the former up 82% to 26.23c and the latter up 15% at 36.4m.