Ryanair forecasts record annual loss as COVID-19 'wreaks havoc'

DUBLIN: Ryanair said on Monday (Feb 1) it may lose close to €1 billion (US$1.21 billion) in its current financial year, by far its worst ever performance, but Europe's largest low-cost carrier said the crisis would create significant growth opportunities.

The Irish airline said it expects to post a loss of between €850 million and €950 million in its current financial year, which ends on Mar 31, around 5 times larger than its previous record annual loss posted in 2009.

"COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc across the industry," the airline said in a statement. "FY21 will continue to be the most challenging year in Ryanair's 35 year history."

COVID-19 restrictions slashed Ryanair passenger numbers by 78per cent in the last three months of the year, the third quarter of its financial calendar, pushing it to a quarterly loss of 306 million euros.

That compares with a loss of €300 million forecast in a company poll of analysts.

Ryanair posted a fall of 82 per cent in revenue in the final three months of 2020, compared with falls of 88 per cent at rival easyJet and 77 per cent at Wizz, which both reported results last week.

Ryanair is widely seen as one of the best-placed airlines in the world to weather the COVID-19 crisis due to its large cash balance and lack of long-haul and business-class.

It said it had cash on hand of €3.5 billion at the end of December, compared with €4.5 billion at the end of September.

Its shares closed on Friday at €14.3, down 15 per cent from its pre-COVID peak of 16.9 euros on Jan 10 last year.

The airline reaffirmed its forecast it would fly between 26 million and 30 million passengers in the year to end-March compared with 149 million in its previous financial year. But it warned there was "more risk towards the lower end of the range."

Ryanair in December ordered an additional 75 Boeing 737 MAX jets in what was the largest order since the plane was grounded in early 2019 following two fatal crashes. The jet was cleared in January to resume flying in the European Union.

Ryanair said it expects to have taken delivery of at least 24 of the 210 it has on order in time for its peak summer season, down from an earlier forecast of up to 30.

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