Ryanair Updates: Flight Cancellations and Profit Standpoint
On Monday, Ryanair canceled 11 flights until 9:00 local time and delayed 51 more. Four unions in Spain joined an ongoing strike that pressures the airline across its Spanish network. The united actions from USO and SICTPLA highlighted how worker walkouts ripple through schedules and passenger flow at major airports.
Most of the disruption hit Spain’s airports, with 11 flights suspended to or from the country. Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca bore the brunt, recording the highest number of suspended routes as crews walked out and operations were trimmed back. The strikes limited connections from these hubs to key European capitals, complicating travel plans for passengers across the region.
Delays were widespread as well, totaling 51 flights across several airports. Palma airport accounted for 10 of the delays, followed by Malaga with 9, Santiago de Compostela with 8, Alicante with 7, Barcelona El Prat with 6, Madrid with 5, Seville with 4, and Ibiza with 2. The spread shows the strike affected both major hubs and regional routes, creating ripple effects through the holiday and business travel calendar.
At Malaga Costa del Sol, four flights departed late and five arrived late, while Seville saw two departures and two arrivals delayed. At El Prat in Barcelona, several flights scheduled to depart for Milan, Rome, Palma, and London were canceled until 9:00, and incoming flights from London, Milan, Palma de Mallorca, Rome, and Vigo were disrupted. An additional six flights faced delays, with two departures and four arrivals affected in Barcelona.
The strike appears to have reshaped Ryanair’s summer schedule in Spain, carving out a disruption window spanning multiple days. The airline’s nationwide operations faced a broader slate of cancellations and delays as crews protested at various airports, including Madrid and Barcelona, and reaching connections central to the European network. These disruptions occurred alongside Ryanair’s broader summer timetable and goals for improved reliability during the post pandemic recovery period, reflecting how external actions can influence schedule planning.
Ryanair had announced a series of stopovers at Spanish airports for July 12–15 and again July 18–21, aligning with ongoing industrial action that has affected operations. The schedule shifts reflect the airline’s response to strike activity and the need to minimize disruption to its wider European network, a pattern seen during a volatile travel season in North America and Europe alike in the current travel landscape.
Company turns profit
Also on Monday, Ryanair disclosed a net profit of 170 million euros for the first quarter, a sharp swing from a 273 million euro loss in the same period a year earlier. The Dublin-based carrier emphasized that the rebound in passenger activity supported these gains, noting a strong uptick in traffic between April and June. The operator carried 45.5 million passengers in that quarter, up 461% from 2021 when travel restrictions weighed heavily on mobility.
The airline reported a turnover of 2.6 billion euros for the first fiscal quarter, marking a substantial increase from the prior year. Of that revenue, about 582 million euros came from the Italian market and 466 million from Spain, reflecting the two largest European markets for Ryanair during the period.
CEO Michael O’Leary tempered expectations, cautioning that forecasting annual profit is not precise given ongoing external uncertainties beyond the company’s control. He described the recovery as solid but still fragile, highlighting the need for vigilance as markets normalize and travel demand evolves in the post pandemic landscape. The results signal resilience and the capacity to scale operations as demand rebounds, even amid disruptions from strikes and other external factors, according to Ryanair corporate communications.