Ryanair closes fiscal year with record profits up 40 per cent
Traffic +4% to 208.4 million passengers. No guidance due to fuel cost uncertainties. Stable fares expected for summer
by Mara Monti
Record results for Ryanair, which closed the fiscal year 2026 with a net profit of EUR 2.26 billion, net of extraordinary items, up 40 per cent from the EUR 1.61 billion recorded in the previous year. However, the company posted a net loss of EUR 396 million in the fourth quarter, worse than analysts had expected and 20.7 per cent higher than the loss of EUR 328 million in the same period last year.
Despite the positive results, the company did not provide financial guidance for the current year, citing uncertainties related to rising fuel costs. Indeed, the Irish low-cost carrier explained that unit costs for the 2027 financial year are set to rise, while the 20 per cent of fuel requirements not covered by hedging have seen a sharp increase in prices.
However, Ryanair has covered 80 per cent of its fuel requirements at USD 67 per barrel until April 2027, which the company says will help protect profitability and give it a competitive advantage over other carriers. The company does not fear a shortage of jet fuel as Europe remains relatively well supplied with significant volumes coming from West Africa, the Americas and Norway.
What weighs heavily is the cost of jet fuel, which according to CFO Neil Sorahan will weigh on the fuel bill by 'a few hundred million', without giving further details.
On the Dublin Stock Exchange, the stock recovered after a weak opening, gaining 5.9 per cent.
