Ryanair flying high and in ruder health than before pandemic

Christine Lagarde, the ECB boss, has a big problem. Consumer demand in Europe has proven incredibly resilient and it isn’t showing any signs of slowing. Despite hiking rates for the last six months, demand remains buoyant across the continent.

And more than any other company, the performance of Ryanair so far this year underscores the health of European consumer spending.

Figures released by Ryanair last week show it carried a record 17.4 million passengers in ...