Ryanair plans to lift average fares by about 8% to 9% in the coming year after reporting an 83% drop in quarterly pre-tax profit to €24.4 million, a hit driven in part by an antitrust fine in Italy.

CEO Michael O’Leary remains optimistic about the year ahead, citing strong demand and earlier delivery of new Boeing jets as factors that support a better full-year outlook and a projected 208 million passengers for the year ending March 31, up from 207 million.

Ryanair warned of fourth-quarter external risks, including spillovers from Ukraine and Middle East conflicts, macro shocks, and potential European air-traffic-control disruptions, while still aiming for profitable growth.

In response to antitrust actions, Ryanair has implemented technical changes to restore competitive conditions and ease third-party sales of its flights.

Shares slipped about 2% in mid-morning trading after the earnings update.

The stock has traded roughly 3% lower year-to-date in Dublin after a strong prior year, reflecting ongoing market volatility.

Ryanair is reallocating capacity toward regions and airports with lower aviation taxes and stronger competition, planning more than 106 new routes for summer 2026 and opening three new bases in Rabat, Tirana, and Trapani.

The update follows a high-profile exchange with Elon Musk over Starlink in-flight Wi‑Fi; O’Leary said the controversy briefly boosted sales by a few percentage points but did not materially affect bookings.

The 737-MAX 10 is poised to add about 21% more seats and improved fuel efficiency over Ryanair’s current 737NG fleet, supporting modernization and capacity growth.

Ryanair attributed the quarterly profit hit to external pressures such as higher air-traffic-control costs, environmental charges, and geopolitical uncertainty, while noting unit costs benefited from fuel hedging and new Boeing deliveries.

Despite the Italy fine and other external uncertainties, Ryanair reiterated confidence in its outlook and anticipates ongoing growth driven by demand for low-cost travel and strong advance bookings.

Total quarterly revenue rose to €3.21 billion, up from €2.93 billion, with €1.11 billion coming from ancillary and onboard revenues.