Taking wing in a brave new world

Ryanair’s share price rose last week on the back of record numbers for 2018, but as it braces itself for the task of reaching agreement with the unions that it detests, its business model may well have been changed forever

Michael O’Leary: ‘We do not have difficulty in recruiting or attracting pilots’ Pic: Getty

In many ways, Ryanair’s 2018 financial year was a record for the company. Its profits, the airline revealed last week, hit an all-time high of €1.45 billion. The number of passengers it carried in the 12 months to the end of March climbed by ten million to 130 million. It added more flights to new destinations and countries. It took deliveries of even more aircraft.

These are staggering numbers and achievements in the ...