‘Terror cloud’ hanging over earnings, says Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary

Ryanair is battling lower fares in the first months of its financial year, weighed down by French air-traffic controller strikes and by travellers’ concerns about a future terrorist incident following last month’s bombings in Brussels.

“There is a kind of cloud hanging over our business,” chief executive Michael O’Leary said in an interview with Bloomberg Television yesterday.

“If there are no more terrorist events in Europe between now and mid-summer, I think things will return to normal, but there’s no doubt the pricing in my first quarter is affected by these air-traffic controller strikes and the concerns over people travelling, particularly on business.”