During regular times, hundreds of millions of passengers fly on Ryanair each year. The Irish low-cost carrier is the largest in Europe, and yesterday celebrated its 35th birthday. However, like all airlines, Ryanair came from humble beginnings, with just one aircraft and 25 members of staff all those years ago.
This year has been a challenging one for all airlines, and Ryanair is no exception. The low-cost giant will see a significant dent in its financial and passenger figures as a result of the current pandemic.
35 years of history
Ryanair’s first flight departed on July 8th, 1985, 35 years ago. The airline’s first aircraft was an Embraer EMB-110P1 Bandeirante. The plane had just 15 seats, equivalent to the first three rows of the aircraft it operates today. The aircraft, EI-BPI, was around five years old when it operated Ryanair’s first flight. Due to the cramped cabin, the airline’s first cabin crew had to be shorter than 5ft. 2ins (1.57m).
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The name Ryanair came from the airline’s founders, the Ryan family. However, it wasn’t always operating with the low £9.99 ($12.64) fares on offer today. The airline started as a full-service airline with both a business class and a frequent flyer scheme.
Indeed, in its archives, the airline states that it began its first price war in 1986, using a 46-seater BAE748 aircraft. The airline’s low fares were ten times as much at £99 ($125.27) from Dublin to London. This vastly undercut British Airways and Aer Lingus, who were charging £209 ($264.42) at the time.
Entering the jet age
In 1987, Ryanair entered the jet age by leasing three BAC1-11 aircraft from Romania’s Tarom. These were joined by another three the following year, along with an ATR-42. By the start of the 1990s, Ryanair had nine aircraft, 3 ATR-42s, and 7 BAC1-11s.
However, the airline found that it was losing money on its full-service offering, so it scrapped business class and ditched the frequent flyer scheme in 1989. In the following year, the airline moved entirely to the low-cost model by ditching the ATRs and ending food and drink on board.
The move seemed to pay off. In 1991, the airline posted its first profit despite a drop in passengers prompted by the Gulf War. The airline made £293,000 for the year. The airline also moved into Stansted Airport, which is today its largest hub despite being headquartered in Dublin.
Huge growth
Moving to the low-cost model was clearly the right way to go for Ryanair. In the years since the change, the airline’s popularity has ballooned. The airline’s passenger numbers have increased by 20,000% percent in the past 30 years. Also, the airline’s workforce has been growing by a similar amount.
Of course, Ryanair’s passenger numbers are going to fall drastically in 2020. Over the past three months, the airline carried just 0.51 million passengers as the majority of its fleet was grounded. The worst month saw just 0.04 million passengers carried in April. However, the airline relaunched its route network with 1,000 daily flights last week.
What’s your favorite memory with Ryanair? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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