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DUBLIN, July 1 (Reuters) - Ryanair expects to fly
more than 4.5 million passengers in July as it returns to a more
regular schedule with 40% of its usual capacity for the peak
summer month, it said on Wednesday.
While that would be a drop of almost 70% from July last
year, it would be a huge increase from April and May when
Europe's biggest budget airline flew just 110,000 passengers.
The Irish carrier has operated a skeleton service since the
COVID-19 pandemic shut down most European air travel in the
middle of March and plans to restore almost 90% of its routes
from July 1, albeit with fewer flights.
Passenger numbers for June are due to be released in the
coming days.
Ryanair is trying to entice passengers back into the sky
with lower fares and said a sale introduced on Wednesday
represented the lowest fares ever offered by Ryanair during the
peak summer months.
"These 1,000 daily flights mark an important turning point
for Ryanair and for the tourism industry of Europe," Ryanair
Group Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said in a statement. "We
expect in July to carry more than 4.5 million customers."
Budget rival EasyJet resumed flying in mid-June but
has said it expects its capacity to be about 30% of usual levels
for the busy July-to-September season.
(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by David Clarke)
