Ryanair is anticipating a new record overall after-tax profit of around €2bn, for its current financial year, which would smash its current full-year profit high of €1.45bn, which was generated way before the pandemic in 2018.
The airline’s financial year runs up to the end of March.
The carrier’s bullishness comes on the back of a very strong summer season, which helped boost its first-half profits by almost 60%.
Ryanair’s newly-published half-year financial results show an after-tax profit of €2.18bn for the six months to the end of September – 59% up on the corresponding period last year. Revenues were up 30%, year-on-year, at €8.58bn and passenger numbers surged by 11% to 105.4 million people.
Also, on the back of the strong first-half figures, Ryanair has announced its maiden dividend payment to shareholders – comprising a combined payment of €400m, breaking down as around 35c per share.
Ryanair now expects to generate after-tax profits of between €1.85bn and €2.05bn.
The airline is also targeting around 183.5 million passengers for its current financial year, which would represent annual growth of 9%.
Ryanair’s group chief executive, Michael O’Leary, said management expects strong growth to continue into next year.
