Ryanair reveals its average fare – flights are up 21pc, but look ‘softer’ this summer

That’s an eye-catching fare, but it’s no surprise that the average price paid per passenger last year was higher – at €49.80.

The figure is up 21pc on last year (€41), which itself was up 10pc on pre-Covid averages, as revealed in the airline's annual results this week.

Passengers also spend an average of €23.40 on ancillary sales, it said – which include extras like seat selection, priority boarding and checked bags.

All told, when you combine fare increases and add-ons, Ryanair is making 15pc extra revenue per passenger this year.

Its annual results give a fascinating insight into Europe’s largest budget airline – which flew 183.7 million passengers between April of 2023 and March of 2024.

That’s 23pc higher than the travel peak pre-Covid, with full-year profits up by one-third to a whopping €1.92 billion.

Ryanair's cheapest fares - try the 'fare finder' hiding in plain sight

This year, it expects to grow even more.

2024 sees Ryanair’s largest ever summer schedule, with over 200 new routes around Europe (including Cork Airport to Rhodes and Zadar), and passenger traffic is forecast to grow by 8pc in the financial year to March of 2025.

By then, it aims to be flying 200 million of us around Europe annually - although the exact number may be impacted by Boeing aircraft delivery delays.

Previously, CEO Michael O’Leary has said fares in Europe could rise by 5-10pc this year.

Despite higher fares and fuel costs, however, he now says that “recent pricing is softer than expected”.

The airline is “cautiously optimistic” that peak summer fares will be “flat to modestly ahead of last summer”, it said.