Ryanair - Europe's Largest Low Fares Airline
History, Facts, and Other Information About Budget Airline Ryanair
May 24, 2009
The budget airlines have revolutionized air travel in recent years. Their cheap flights have made it possible for almost everyone to travel, in Europe and further afield. Along with Flybe, EasyJet, and BMI Baby, one of the most successful of these is Ryanair.
Ryanair Facts and Figures
Ryanair is Europe’s largest low fares airline. It has 32 bases and over 830 routes across 26 countries, connecting 148 destinations. By the end of May 2009 Ryanair will operate a fleet of 190 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with firm orders for another 102 new aircraft, which will be delivered over the next three years.
Ryanair currently employs more than 6,000 people and expects to carry 6.7 million passengers in 2009.
The Beginnings of Ryanair
In 1985 Ryanair was set up in Ireland by the Ryan family, with a share capital of just £1 and a staff of 25. The first route opened in July of that same year, with daily flights on a 15-seater Bandeirante aircraft operating daily from Waterford in the South East of Ireland to London Gatwick. The first cabin crew recruits had to be under 5 ft 2 ins in order to be able to operate in the tiny cabin of the aircraft. However, by the end of that year Ryanair had carried 5,000 passengers.
The following year services were launched on the Dublin-London Route, using two 46-seater turbo-prop BAE748 aircraft That year, Ryanair carried 82,000 passengers.
After that the airline went from strength to strength, with ever-increasing passenger numbers and routes. 1991 was a less successful year due to the outbreak of the Gulf War, but in 1993 Ryanair carried more than a million passengers.
More Recent Ryanair History
During the 1990s Ryanair continued to open new routes within Europe, and in 1996 was voted Best Value Airline. Aircraft were continuously upgraded, and in March 1999 the budget airline accepted delivery of its first new Boeing 737-800 series aircraft. That year passenger numbers topped five million.
During more recent years Ryanair has continued to expand. It was named the most popular airline on the web by Google in 2003, and was the most searched travel website in Europe. That same year passenger number neared twenty-five million.
By 2007 Ryanair had topped forty million passengers. At times it was carrying more passengers than British Airways, and therefore dubbed itself “The World’s Favourite Airline”.
Ryanair Today
Ryanair continues to grow in popularity, despite occasional complaints about their fare structure and hidden charges. Future plans include a move to only on-line check-in in order to reduce costs.
Passengers looking for a budget airline for a cheap flight would do well to consider giving Ryanair a try, next time they are looking for a sunshine holiday or a city break.
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