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VIENNA—Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary said long-term planning is getting harder for the ULCC because of the current geopolitical situation and fuel supply challenges within Europe.
“How this affects planning for 2027, it is too far away at this time,” Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary told Aviation Week here in Vienna on April 21.
While Ryanair is working on finalizing the group's 2026-27 winter schedule, its immediate focus is on getting through May, June and July. “If there is a supply disruption, what happens if some other airlines fail? Some of the airports are clearly worrying about some of their airline customers," O’Leary said.
Yet regarding the fuel supply situation, O’Leary said that he has become a little more confident. “The fuel companies have generally said they don’t expect any issues with supply throughout Europe until the end of May. But nobody has yet given us an undertaking for June. It is from week to week at the moment,” he said.
“We were originally nervous from the middle of May onward—now they are all saying we are okay from the middle of May until the end of May,” O’Leary said. “But nobody gives assurances for June, because nobody knows,” he added.
British Airports At Risk
Asked if maybe remote airports or airports located on islands could be more affected by a possible fuel shortage, O’Leary said the biggest risk at the moment are those UK airports which receive fuel from oil company Q8, the largest supplier of Jet A fuel from Kuwait.
“In most of Europe, it looks like the supply is okay,” he said. “But the biggest risk is some airports in the UK [which are depending on Q8].” Most of the Europeans are getting Jet A from Norway, America and Western Africa, O’Leary added.
Ryanair Group itself bought 80% of its fuel throughout March 2027 at $67 per barrel. “The 20% which are not hedged went to $74 a barrel in March and $150 in April. It will be maybe at $140 in May,” O'Leary said.
“We can absorb that. The current cost of fuel will not affect the summer schedule, the only thing that could affect us is if there are some fuel shortages in Europe. I think this is unlikely, but we can’t rule it out,” he added.
737-10 Update
During early 2026, Ryanair took delivery of 29 Boeing 737-8s, of which the last four aircraft arrived in February.
The first 15 Boeing 737-10s are expected for delivery from January through April 2027. “This is the start of a 300 aircraft order which should enable Ryanair to grow from 200 million passengers in 2025 to 300 million by 2034,” he said.
According to O’Leary, Boeing expressed confidence that the 737-10 will be certified by the third quarter of this year. “We are very hopeful to get them. These 737-10s give us a small amount of growth for summer [2027],” O’Leary said.
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