Ryanair CEO: summer airfares 7-9% higher than pre-pandemic levels

Ryanair Group Chief Executive Michael O'Leary told Reuters that "we've seen very strong bookings through May. We had 92% load factor in May.

Ryanair Group Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said bookings for Europe's biggest budget airline have continued to strengthen. Picture: Larry Cummins

Ryanair Group Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said bookings for Europe's biggest budget airline have continued to strengthen and he expects summer fares to be between 7% and 9% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

O'Leary told Reuters that "we've seen very strong bookings through May. We had 92% load factor in May. We think that would rise to about 94% in June. And July, August, and September look very strong with higher load factors and also higher fares".