European travellers could face the biggest airfare increase in the region’s history next year, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary warned on Tuesday, predicting ticket prices could climb by between 10% and 20%.
Speaking at a news conference in Brussels, O’Leary attributed his forecast to higher jet fuel costs and an expected reduction in available seats as airline bankruptcies and takeovers reshape the market. His comments represent an industry forecast rather than an announced fare increase across Ryanair’s network.
O’Leary said many European airlines would enter the period from April 2027 with limited protection against rising fuel prices. Airlines use fuel hedging contracts to secure prices in advance, helping cushion their exposure to sudden market increases.
Ryanair had secured substantial fuel coverage through March 2027, but O’Leary said its protection for the following period was much lower, leaving the company more exposed to expensive fuel.
The airline chief also cautioned that higher ticket prices might not fully offset the industry’s increased fuel bills. Even if carriers pass some costs on to passengers, their profit margins could remain under pressure, according to his assessment.
Separately, O’Leary announced plans to remove 20 routes and more than one million seats from Ryanair’s Belgian winter schedule, citing a planned increase in the country’s aviation tax from €2 to €7 in January.
For passengers, the warning points to potentially more expensive European travel in 2027. The scale of any increase remains uncertain, however, and O’Leary’s estimate does not mean every airline or route will experience the same rise.
