Ryanair’s CEO predicts ‘significantly’ higher airfares next summer

Short-haul flight prices across Europe would be much higher next summer than they were before the COVID-19 outbreak, according to Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O’Leary, who spoke on Thursday.

Bookings were “patchy” in the coming months, according to O’Leary, with certain periods of high demand around school holidays in October and at Christmas, while present pricing were cheap.

“Prices will rise I think during October and at Christmas and I think prices into next summer will be significantly stronger than they were pre-COVID because there’s about 20% less capacity in the short-haul market across Europe,” O’Leary said in an interview after the airline’s annual general meeting.