Ryanair carried a record 20.7 million passengers in July, despite significant disruption from French air traffic control strikes that forced the airline to cancel 680 flights. The Dublin-based carrier’s July passenger numbers represent a 3% increase from 20.2 million in the same month last year, with the airline maintaining a stable 96% load factor across its more than 113,000 flights operated during the month.
The achievement came despite major disruption from French ATC strikes on July 3rd and 4th, where controllers took industrial action over working conditions. The strikes affected not only flights to and from French airports but also services using French airspace, impacting many UK routes. The disruption extended across the industry, with EasyJet cancelling 660 flights at a cost of €17.2 million. EasyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis described the French strikes as “very, very disruptive,” noting that 70% of the airline’s flights either operate to or from France or use French airspace.
European air traffic management body Eurocontrol estimated the strikes affected over one million passengers across all airlines. Additional disruption occurred on July 30th when a radar fault at UK ATC provider NATS led to more than 100 UK flight cancellations. Despite these challenges, Ryanair’s record passenger numbers demonstrate the airline’s resilience and continued strong demand for air travel during the peak summer season.