Ryanair Holdings’ (RYAAY Quick QuoteRYAAY - Free Report) September 2021 traffic surged more than 100% year over year to 10.6 million as air-travel demand continues to recover in the European Union. Load factor (percentage of seats filled with passengers) in the period was 81% compared with 71% in September 2020. The airline operated more than 69,500 flights last month.

Amid the prevalent pandemic, Ryanair’s September traffic, however, fell 4.5% sequentially. Load factor also deteriorated 100 basis points from August.

Despite improving from the pandemic-driven lows, Ryanair’s traffic continues to be significantly below the pre-pandemic levels. The airline’s September 2021 traffic declined 24.8% from the comparable period in 2019.

Ryanair Holdings PLC Price

Ryanair Holdings PLC price | Ryanair Holdings PLC Quote

However, with air-travel demand showing steady recovery in the European Union, last month, the carrier raised its five-year traffic growth forecast as it expects to take delivery of 210 Boeing 737 aircraft over the next five years.

Ryanair increased its five-year traffic growth projection to 50% from 33% expected earlier. The carrier expects traffic to grow to more than 225 million guests per year by March 2026, compared with 200 million predicted earlier.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Ryanair carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Transportation sector are Copa Holdings (CPA Quick QuoteCPA - Free Report) , ArcBest Corporation (ARCB Quick QuoteARCB - Free Report) and Herc Holdings (HRI Quick QuoteHRI - Free Report) . While ArcBest and Herc Holdings sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Copa Holdings carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Shares of Copa Holdings, ArcBest and Herc Holdings have rallied more than 70%, 100% and 200% in a year’s time, respectively.