Ryanair cancelled 800 flights in June due to Middle East confict 

Irish carrier said it carried 19.9m passengers over the month

Ryanair has said it cancelled more than 800 flights last month due to the conflict in the Middle East. Picture: Peter Byrne/PA Wire

Ryanair has said it cancelled more than 800 flights last month due to the conflict in the Middle East.

The budget carrier said it carried 19.9m passengers over the month, representing a 3% increase on the same month last year. It said this means it has carried 202.6m passengers over the past 12 months, up 7% year-on-year.

The Irish airline is among those to have cancelled and rerouted flights amid the conflict between Israel and Iran, as well as continued attacks in Gaza. Last week, flights were halted at Dubai airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as passengers were told to expect further delays and cancellations.

On Wednesday, Ryanair said it still operated more than 109,000 flights in total in June, indicating that fewer than 1% of flights were affected. 

Elsewhere, rival London-listed airline Wizz Air also reported a significant rise in passenger numbers. It said it carried 5.88m passengers in June, up 10.8% against the same month last year. Its seat capacity was 10.4% higher year-on-year as a result. Wizz said it has carried around 65m passengers over the past 12 months rolling, up 4.7% year-on-year.