Ryanair contemplates tapping capital markets

Ryanair is for the first time looking at tapping capital markets directly, as it prepares to take delivery of recently ordered Boeing aircraft.

Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers has raised funds in the past through bonds backed by the US government-owned ExIm bank, but is in the process of seeking a rating to gain direct access to the debt markets.

“We are putting ourselves in a position to allow us access to capital markets. We have done it using US government export credit... [but] we haven’t raised any money on Ryanair’s book in debt markets,” corporate treasurer James Dempsey told Reuters.