Ryanair posted disappointing traffic numbers for September, primarily due to weak air travel demand stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
This Ireland-based carrier reported a 64% year-over-year plunge in September traffic to merely 5.1 million passengers.
Ryanair operated approximately 53% of the normal September schedule with a load factor of 71%. On a rolling-annual basis, total traffic at Ryanair (including the LaudaMotion unit) declined 47% to 79.9 million.
Apart from the traffic results, Ryanair was in news recently when it announced that it will reduce its October capacity by a further 20% due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions by European Union governments.
In mid-August, the carrier had already announced plans to slash its October capacity by 20% due to a drop in bookings following surge in coronavirus cases in some European Union countries.
With the additional capacity reductions, Ryanair now expects its October capacity to decrease from 50% to approximately 40% of October 2019 levels.
Even at this reduced schedule, the airline anticipates to maintain a load factor (percentage of seats filled with passengers) of more than 70% in October.