Ryanair breaks records with busiest month despite flight delays

In June 2024, Ryanair, a low-cost airline, achieved a record-breaking month by flying over 19 million passengers across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. This marked a 10.9% increase from the previous year, totaling 188.8 million passengers in the past 12 months. Despite this success, the airline faced challenges with excessive delays and cancellations due to staff shortages affecting air traffic control centers in Europe. Ryanair's Chief Operations Officer, Neal McMahon, criticized the delays and urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Eurocontrol's Director General, Raul Medina, to address and reform the ATC services promptly. Similarly, Wizz Air, another low-cost airline, experienced a slight decline in passenger numbers in June, citing issues with the air traffic control system causing disruptions and delays. In contrast, Manchester Airports Group (MAG) announced exceeding pre-pandemic annual passenger levels for the first time, with 61.3 million travelers passing through its airports in the year ending March. MAG reported a significant increase in operating profit to £240.1 million, emphasizing its commitment to providing passengers with diverse route networks and high levels of customer service. MAG highlighted its role in supporting the transition to net-zero carbon aviation by 2050 and emphasized the importance of aviation in driving the UK's economic future. As the UK prepares for a new government, MAG looks forward to collaborating on an industrial strategy that prioritizes sustainable growth in aviation to support global connectivity, trade, investment, and tourism for the country's economic sectors poised for growth.