According to an analysis of Cirium schedules data for August 2023, Ryanair will account for 16% of all intra-European seat capacity or roughly one in every six seats. This compares with 12% (or one in every eight seats) in August 2019. They are offering 28% more seats in August than they did four years earlier.
Before the pandemic, Ryanair’s biggest country market was Spain, followed by Italy and the UK. Having experienced over 50% growth since 2019 Italy is now the biggest. Germany, which was fourth in the summer of 2019, has slipped to sixth, behind both Ireland and France. Germany is also the only country market where Ryanair has significantly cut capacity compared with 2019. Ireland is 4th after Italy, the UK and Spain.
Since the opening of a Vienna base, Ryanair has more than doubled its capacity in Austria versus 2019. Seat capacity in Croatia has also more than trebled. Zadar is Ryanair’s busiest airport in Croatia, but it also now serves the capital Zagreb year round, having opened a base there in July 2021. Among smaller country markets, Ryanair has grown significantly in percentage terms in Israel (+109%), Bulgaria (+89%), Cyprus (+72%) and Latvia (+68%).
The four busiest Ryanair airports are London Stansted, Dublin, Milan Bergamo and Palma de Mallorca. London Stansted will have over 1,400 weekly departures in August making it the busiest followed by Dublin with just over 1,000, then Milan Bergamo with just over 800 and then Palma de Mallorca with almost 700. In percentage terms, the fastest growing airports are Venice Marco Polo (+432%, some transferred from Treviso), Zadar (+218%), Turin (+159%), Vienna (+151%), Naples (+106%), Gdansk (+96%), Rome Fiumicino (+95%, some transferred from Ciampino), Marseille (+85%) and Bari (+80%). New airports now served since August 2019 include Asturias, Funchal, Helsinki, Iasi, Stockholm Arlanda, Warsaw Chopin and Zagreb.
Among the top 50 airports, only one has seen a significant reduction in flights. Weekly departures at Rome Ciampino are down 35% in August however there are now almost double the weekly flights from Rome Fiumicino. Airports no longer served, that were served in August 2019, include Brest, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, London Southend, Munich, Stockholm Skavsta and Stuttgart. Two airports in Ukraine, Kyiv and Lviv, are also currently not served
More statistics and graphs to go with them can be found at https://airserviceone.com/
Ryanair Announces 200 Weekly Flights To/From Tirana
On June 8th Ryanair announced 200 weekly flights and 17 new routes to/from Tirana Albania as part of its Winter 2023 schedule. Albania will become the 37th country within Ryanair’s network. The new routes are to/from Bologna (7 pw), Bucharest (3), Brussels Charleroi (7), Catania (7), Dusseldorf Weeze (2), Edinburgh (2), Krakow (3), London Stansted (14), Manchester (3), Milan Bergamo (14), Paris Beauvais (5), Pisa (7), Prague (2), Rome Ciampino (9), Stockholm (2), Venice Treviso (7) and Warsaw Modlin (3). They are expected to generate 700,000 passengers to/from Tirana in the winter period.
From Tirana, Ryanair DAC’s CEO, Eddie Wilson said: “As Europe’s largest airline, we are delighted to announce 200 weekly Ryanair flights to/from Albania starting from Winter ’23. These initial 17 new routes will grant immediate access to key inbound tourism markets such as, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania Sweden, and the UK whilst also providing competitive fares and increased connectivity for Albanians who want to visit home, or friends and family abroad. We have worked closely with our partners here at Tirana Airport to launch these 17 new routes and hope to strengthen the relationship over time as we work together to drive inbound tourism and connectivity to Albania. These routes will allow millions of visitors from major cities across Europe to experience the wonders of Albania, from the white sand beaches of the Albania Riviera to the historical architecture of UNESCO site Gjirokastër, and lively nightlife in Tirana.”
Mr. Musa Kastrati, Senior Vice President of Kastrati Group, which employs over 3,500 Albanians said “On behalf of Tirana International Airport, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Ryanair for their remarkable trust in the potential of the Albanian market. We welcome Ryanair’s decision to operate flights to and from Tirana International Airport, providing affordable and accessible air travel options, which will undoubtedly benefit both inbound and outbound travellers. I am confident that through the extensive network of Ryanair, Tirana International Airport will contribute to the further development of passenger choices, tourism, and the economy of Albania. We look forward to a fruitful partnership with Ryanair, as we work together to build memorable journeys for passengers travelling to and from our beautiful nation.”
WizzAir which is Albania’s largest Airline has recently announced an 11th-based aircraft in Tirana and the addition of ten new routes to its Albanian network. New flights from Tirana to Birmingham, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Bucharest (Romania), Sofia (Bulgaria), Prague (Czech Republic) and Krakow (Poland) will start in the upcoming winter season. Flights from Tirana to Malta (Malta), Palermo (Italy), and Chania (Greece) will start from March 2024.
