Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Ryanair's Traffic Numbers for October 2026 Improve Year Over Year

Read MoreHide Full Article

Key Takeaways

  • Ryanair carried 19.4 million passengers in October 2026, up 1% year over year, with a 93% load factor.
  • RYAAY operated over 109,100 flights in October, though traffic remained below prior months' levels.
  • Ryanair targets 214 million passengers in fiscal 2027, while limiting exposure to costly unhedged winter fuel.

Ryanair Holdings(RYAAY - Free Report) , a European carrier, reported solid traffic numbers for October 2026, driven by upbeat air-travel demand.

The number of passengers transported on Ryanair flights was 19.4 million in October 2026, reflecting a 1% year-over-year increase. The October load factor (percentage of seats filled by passengers) of 93% remained flat on a year-over-year basis, reflecting consistent passenger demand for the airline's services.  

RYAAY operated more than 109,100 flights in October 2026.

Although October 2026 traffic numbers reflect year-over-year growth, they could not surpass its prior months' figures. Ryanair’s encouraging monthly traffic numbers reflected steady growth from the beginning of the year till August 2026.

Further, we would like to remind investors that Ryanair expects fiscal 2027 traffic to grow 3% to 214 million passengers. This outlook has been set to limit winter exposure to expensive unhedged fuel. However, the planned network expansion and sustained passenger base support longer-term growth for RYAAY. Management is directing scarce aircraft capacity toward airports offering lower taxes and fees, reinforcing the low-cost network strategy.

RYAAY’s Zacks Rank & Price Performance

RYAAY currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Shares of RYAAY have plunged 23.4% so far this year compared with the 11.6% loss of the Zacks Airline industry.

RYAAY Stock’s YTD Price Comparison

Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Stocks to Consider

Investors interested in the Zacks Transportation sector may consider Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (EXPD - Free Report) and Herc Holdings (HRI - Free Report) .

Herc Holdings currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

HRI has an expected earnings growth rate of 3.41% for the current year. However, the company has an encouraging earnings surprise history. Its earnings topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 62.05%.

Expeditors currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

EXPD has an expected earnings growth rate of 30.59% for 2026. The company has an encouraging earnings surprise history. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 17.15%.

Published in