As the year draws to a close, Ryanair, Europe’s no.1 airline, today (Thurs, 4 Dec) unveiled its top destinations to ring in the New Year. From Malta’s festive traditions to Prague’s magical riverside celebrations, now is the perfect time to plan an unforgettable New Year’s Eve adventure.  

• London: Known for its iconic New Years Eve fireworks display along the Thames, set against the dazzling backdrop of the London Eye and Big Ben. The city offers a mix of glamorous parties, world-class dining, and festive events, from river cruises to rooftop bars. With its vibrant atmosphere and rich cultural scene, London is the perfect place to celebrate the New Year in style.
• Malta: Has become an increasingly popular place to mark the New Year, with unmissable firework displays at both St.  George’s Square and the Valletta Waterfront, bustling street parties, and plenty of Imbuljuta tal-Qastan to enjoy a traditional Maltese chestnut drink known as a classic New Year’s Eve staple.
• Prague: Offers a magical blend of history, celebration, and stunning scenery – not to mention some of Europe’s most popular New Year’s Eve river cruises. Make sure to visit The Old Town Square for the spectacular fireworks display that lights up the city.
• Barcelona: With its unbeatable mix of beachside celebrations, vibrant nightlife, and the iconic Plaça d’Espanya fireworks, Barcelona is set to be one of the hottest spots to ring in 2026. Visitors can enjoy festive tapas, open-air concerts, and the uniquely Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight for good luck.
• Vienna: For those looking for a touch of elegance this New Year’s Eve, Vienna delivers. The city’s renowned Silvesterpfad (New Year’s Trail) fills the streets with music, dancing, and culinary treats, while classical concerts and the grand fireworks over the Prater create a spectacular backdrop as the clock strikes midnight.

  If you’re planning a New Years Eve getaway, why not treat someone special in your life to one too with a Ryanair Gift Card. Starting from just €25, you can now choose either a digital gift card sent straight to the recipient’s inbox or for those looking for something extra special, you can now choose a physical gift card, with an inscribed personal message, delivered straight to their front door. 

Ryanair has applauded a Spanish court’s decision to convict an unruly passenger who disrupted a Ryanair flight this summer. The incident happened in June during a flight from Ibiza to Alicante. The passenger physically assaulted a crew member and was found guilty in the Alicante court and fined €270. Ryanair says it continues to uphold a strict zero tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct and will continue to take action to combat unruly passenger behaviour. Ryanair’s Director of Communications, Jade Kirwan, said: “We welcome the Alicante Court’s conviction. This demonstrates just one of the many consequences that passengers who disrupt flights will face as part of Ryanair’s zero tolerance policy.” “We hope this will further deter disruptive behaviour on flights so that both passengers and crew can travel in a comfortable and respectful environment.”  

Ryanair has extended its long term partnership with the Erasmus Student Network (ESN). It continues for the 2025-2026 academic year, marking the ninth year of supporting European students with low fares to enable them to travel during their educational exchange. The exclusive partnership allows registered ESN students to access a dedicated Erasmus booking platform on the Ryanair.com website. This gives a 10% discount on four one-way flights (or two round-trips) and a free 20kg checked-in bag with every flight booked. The 2025-2026 academic year starts soon and ESN students can now book their Ryanair flights across the airline’s network of 235+ destinations. ESN’s Treasurer, Rui Vinha, said: “This is another year of commitment from ESN and Ryanair to provide easier and affordable travels for students to their mobility destinations."

Ryanair has opened its winter 2025/26 Lapland-Rovaniemi schedule for the UK. There are 2x return flights across three new routes, Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester. Lapland is a winter wonderland from reindeer to husky sleigh rides through snow-covered forests and Santa Claus himself. The winter Lapland-Rovaniemi flights are available to book now at ryanair.com. Ryanair’s Director of Communications, Jade Kirwan, said: “Christmas has come early for our UK customers with the launch of the Lapland schedule across three new routes, Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester”. “It’s never too early to start Christmas planning.”

Ryanair just had a record July, carrying 20.7 million passengers. It was up by 3% on July 2024, when it carried 20.2 million passengers. Last month Ryanair flew over 113,000 flights last month. There were 680 flights cancelled in July which Ryanair blames mainly on French air traffic control strikes. The airline’s load factor kept pace with last month at 96%. Overall on a rolling annual basis, Ryanair has carried 203.1m passengers to the end of July, which is up 7% on the comparable period last year.

  Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today added 600 extra seats from Dublin for Irish fans travelling for the opening weekend of the 2025/26 Premier League this August.  

Extra Flights	Match
15 Aug: Dublin – Liverpool x1	Liverpool v Bournemouth 15 August 25 Anfield Stadium
17 Aug: Dublin – Manchester x1 17 Aug: Manchester – Dublin x1	Manchester United v Arsenal 17 August 25 Old Trafford Stadium

  These 2025/26 Premier League extras are available to book now at ryanair.com.   Ryanair’s Director of Comms, Jade Kirwan said:   “Ryanair has added 600 extra seats between Dublin and Liverpool/Manchester for Irish fans travelling for the opening weekend of the 2025/26 Premier League, with Liverpool vs. Bournemouth taking place in Anfield on Fri, 15 Aug and Manchester United vs. Arsenal in Old Trafford on Sun, 17 Aug.   We’re expecting these extra Ryanair seats to sell out fast, so head over to Ryanair.com now to book before they’re gone.”

 

Ryanair To Train And Recruit Over 400 Pilots In The UK Over Next 4 Years

  Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today launched its Future Flyer Academy pilot training programme in partnership with UK-based and world-renowned international flight school, Skyborne Airline Academy, which will train over 400 aspiring pilots who will ultimately join the airline group as Second Officers over the next 4 years.   Ryanair’s Future Flyer Academy offers aspiring pilots the opportunity to kickstart their aviation career as a commercial airline through a world-class combination of classroom, simulator, and practical training with a defined path to employment as a Second Officer with Europe’s largest airline group – Ryanair – as the airline continues to grow to carry over 300m passengers p.a. on a fleet of 800 aircraft by 2034.   For several years, Skyborne has been training aspiring pilots to a standard where they can complete their Type Rating course to operate Ryanair’s Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 aircraft. Through Ryanair’s new Future Flyer Academy programme, this initial training is combined with the Type Rating qualification to fast-track pilot training progression. Not only that, but Ryanair also guarantees candidates a job* as a commercial pilot with the airline upon completion of the programme, with industry leading benefits such as;  

• Outstanding earnings potential
• Access to Ryanair’s Route-to-Command programme – fastest route to Captain (within 4 years)
• Industry-leading rosters – fixed 5 days on, 4 days off
• Great basing opportunities given Ryanair’s over 90 base network
• Opportunity to fly on one of Europe’s youngest, most efficient fleets – average 64g CO2 per pax/km in Feb

  Applications for Ryanair’s Future Flyer Academy with Skyborne are open now. For more information visit the “Become a Pilot” section on careers.ryanair.com or apply at https://skyborne.com/uk/ryanair/.   Ryanair’s Chief Operations Officer, Neal McMahon, said:   “We are delighted to launch the Future Flyer Academy in partnership with Skyborne Airline Academy in the UK. By combining Ryanair’s industry-leading expertise with Skyborne’s excellent training programmes, our Future Flyer Academy will create unparalleled opportunities for 100’s of aspiring pilots who are looking to kickstart a well-paid career in aviation as a commercial pilot. Ryanair’s new Future Flyer Academy training programme shows our continued commitment to supporting, developing, and recruiting aspiring pilots for future positions as we take delivery of over 300 Boeing 737 MAX-10 aircraft over the next 10 years. Ryanair looks forward to growing the careers of many more Skyborne pilot trainees through our Future Flyer Academy over the years to come.”   Ryanair’s Head of Crew Training Captain, Paul Kelly said:   “Our Future Flyer Academy training programme will provide Ryanair with a steady pipeline of talented and professional pilots from around Europe to meet the needs of our growing network. This enhanced programme, has a proven track record of providing us with highly trained cadets who have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary to succeed as a future Ryanair Captain.”   Skyborne CEO’s, Lee Woodward said:   “We are thrilled to partner with Ryanair, one of Europe’s leading airlines, in response to the growing demand for commercial aviation and the need for streamlined pathways to the flight deck. This collaboration underscores the exceptional quality of our airline cadet programmes, which consistently produce highly skilled and well-prepared pilots. We’re proud to contribute to the industry’s growth by providing Ryanair with pilots who meet and exceed the highest standards of professionalism and expertise.”

Ryanair has rolled out its exclusive Prime Member offer for July. Prime members get £20 off return flights operating between 16 August to 15 September. The 48hr sale is available only to Ryanair Prime members and goes live today, Tuesday 1 July. It offers savings on fares and offers other Prime member benefits, like free reserved seats and free travel insurance. This July Prime Member sale is the fourth monthly seat sale since Ryanair launched its £79 subscriber discount scheme in March. Ryanair says its last four monthly seat sales alone have saved Prime members £170. Ryanair CMO, Dara Brady said: “We’re pleased to release our next exclusive Prime Member seat sale, the perfect opportunity to book a late summer getaway.”

  Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today announced its “Approved OTA Aggregator” partnership with DerbySoft, a global travel tech company, who will now be authorised to offer Ryanair’s low fare flights to their network of OTA partners, on the condition that they provide full price transparency of Ryanair products. This deal will also ensure that customers who book Ryanair flights through DerbySoft’s OTA partners have access to their myRyanair account without needing to complete Ryanair’s customer verification (which unauthorised OTA customers must continue to do) and will receive essential flight updates directly.   This is great news for DerbySoft’s OTA partners whose customers wish to book Ryanair’s low fares, unbeatable choice of 230+ destinations, and impeccable service. DerbySoft is Ryanair’s fourth “Approved OTA aggregator” partner that will serve both European and Asian markets, and joins the airline’s growing list of “Approved OTA” partners, including Atlas, Expedia, Etraveli, loveholidays, lastminute.com, Travelfusion, Paxport, Kiwi, TUI, On the Beach, eSky, El Corte Inglés, Omio, Trip.com and Braganza, as the airline continues to demonstrate how OTAs and OTA aggregators can work transparently with airlines without scamming or duping customers with hidden mark-ups.   Ryanair’s CMO, Dara Brady said:    “We are excited to announce our new partnership with DerbySoft, now recognized as an Approved OTA Aggregator for Ryanair. Under this agreement, DerbySoft is authorized to distribute Ryanair’s low-fare flights through its network of OTA partners, on the condition that full price transparency for consumers is maintained.   As part of this partnership, customers booking Ryanair flights via DerbySoft’s OTA partners will enjoy direct access to their myRyanair accounts without the need for additional customer verification. They will also receive all critical flight updates seamlessly and in real time.   We look forward to building a strong and collaborative relationship with DerbySoft as we expand access to Ryanair’s low fares across new platforms in the months and years ahead.”   Ted Zhang, co-founder and CEO of DerbySoft, said:   “The partnership with Ryanair marks a major milestone in DerbySoft’s entry into the flight connectivity space and furthers our goal of making the travel industry more open and interconnected. By combining our proven connectivity technology with PKFARE’s deep expertise in air distribution, our newly launched Flight Services business unit serves both airlines and distributors by providing high-performance connectivity solutions. It empowers airlines to broaden their global distribution reach, while enabling distributors to deliver personalized, best-fit travel options for their customers.”

  Ryanair today announced it has reached agreement with CFM to buy 30 new spare LEAP-1B engines which have a list price of $500m. These fuel-efficient engines, which deliver over the next 2 years, will support Ryanair’s fleet of 210x B737 Gamechanger aircraft and also the B737 MAX-10 aircraft which deliver in 2027. These 30 new engines greatly increase Ryanair’s pool of spare engines to over 120, which will enhance Ryanair’s operational resilience. Ryanair plans to increase its fleet to 800x B737s (all powered by CFM engines) to grow its traffic to 300m guests p.a. by 2034.   Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said:   “We are pleased to continue to develop our longstanding partnership with CFM (Safran & GE Aerospace). Today’s purchase of 30 new LEAP-1B spare engines is a significant $500m commitment to improve the operational resilience of our Group airlines. These latest technology CFM engines reduce fuel consumption and CO₂  emissions per seat by up to 20% when installed on our B737 MAX fleet, which will further widen Ryanair’s cost leadership over competitor airlines in Europe.”   CFM’s President & CEO, Gael Meheust, said:   “This new agreement is another milestone in the long and successful partnership we have built with Ryanair. We look forward to continuing to support Ryanair’s significant growth by providing them with industry-leading reliability and utilization standards”.   Ryanair Holdings plc, Europe’s largest airline group, is the parent company of Buzz, Lauda, Malta Air, Ryanair & Ryanair UK. Carrying c.206m guests p.a. on approx. 3,600 daily flights from 93 bases, the Group connects over 230 airports in 37 countries on a fleet of almost 620 aircraft, and c.330 new Boeing 737s on order, which will enable the Ryanair Group to grow traffic to 300m p.a. by FY34. Ryanair has a team of over 26,000 highly skilled aviation professionals delivering Europe’s No.1 operational performance, and an industry leading 40-year safety record. Ryanair is one of the most efficient major EU airlines. With a young fleet and high load factors, Ryanair targets 50grams of CO₂ per pax/km by 2031 (a 27% reduction).   CFM is a 50/50 joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines, CFM International has redefined international cooperation and helped change the course of commercial aviation since its founding in 1974. Today, CFM is the world's leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines with a product line that sets the industry standard for efficiency, reliability, durability, and optimized cost of ownership. CFM International produces the LEAP family of engines and supports LEAP and CFM56 fleets for operators.

  Ryanair has carried over 40 million passengers through Liverpool John Lennon Airport since it began operations to/from the airport in 1988. Since then, Ryanair has invested heavily in Liverpool, with 5 based aircraft representing a $500m investment and supporting over 1,500 local jobs, as well as providing citizens/visitors with more choice at the lowest fares via a robust schedule of 304 weekly flights across 31 routes to/from Liverpool, including top holiday destinations like Alicante, Barcelona, Corfu, Faro, Ibiza, Malaga, Tenerife, and Zadar.   Ryanair’s Director of Comms, Jade Kirwan, said:   “We’re pleased to announce that Ryanair has carried over 40 million passengers through Liverpool John Lennon Airport since we began operations back in 1988. This significant milestone showcases Ryanair’s continued support and investment for Liverpool, delivering important connectivity, traffic, tourism, jobs, and economic growth. This summer, Ryanair is operating a robust schedule to/from Liverpool with 304 weekly flights across 31 routes, including top holiday destinations like Alicante, Barcelona, Corfu, Faro, Ibiza, Malaga, Tenerife, and Zadar. Ryanair’s super Summer 2025 schedule will largely operate on our 5 Liverpool based aircraft – an investment of $500m and supporting over 1,500 local jobs.   While Ryanair has grown significantly at Liverpool over the years, we could be growing more rapidly at Liverpool and the wider UK, but Rachel Reeves’ bizarre decision to raise APD taxes by £2 per passenger damages these growth prospects. If the UK Govt. wants to deliver growth, they should abolish their penal and damaging APD tax, which makes the UK uncompetitive when EU countries like Sweden, Hungary, and regions in Italy are abolishing aviation taxes, and winning dramatic traffic, tourism, and jobs growth from the UK.   We look forward to carrying millions more passengers to/from Liverpool on Ryanair’s low-fare flights over the years to come.”   Liverpool John Lennon Airport Head of PR & Communications, Robin Tudor, said:   “To have welcomed over 40 million Ryanair passengers through the airport over the past 37 years is a tremendous achievement, with passengers from across the North West, North Wales and beyond taking advantage our award winning faster, easier, friendlier passenger experience, combined with Ryanair’s great low fares and choice of destinations.   We look forward to welcoming millions more Ryanair passengers through the airport in future.”

Ryanair’s new summer routes to the eastern Mediterranean have taken flight from Bournemouth Airport. The first flights to Chania and Rhodes launched and both operate twice weekly. They are part of Ryanair’s summer 2025 schedule from the south coast airport. The airline is operating 21 routes from Bournemouth this summer. Ryanair’s Comms Director, Jade Kirwan, said: “Ryanair is pleased to see the first flights of our new summer 2025 routes from Bournemouth take off carrying lots of happy holidaymakers.” “These exciting new routes offer our UK customers even more choice at the lowest fares.” Network-wide, Ryanair’s full summer 2025 schedule spans over 230 destinations.