When 84-year-old Maria Cornelia Vos went to the airport last Wednesday to catch her flight from Fuerteventura to Madrid, she had no idea she would be greeted with flowers and a photo session upon her arrival at the terminal. ‘Mieke’ as she is called by her friends, was Ryanair’s 200 millionth passenger this year, making the Irish low-cost carrier the first European one to reach that milestone.
Globally, only American Airlines and Delta have matched or surpassed this figure. The former reportedly carried 248.7 million passengers in the calendar year of 2024 and the latter just over 200 million.
Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, announced the news, celebrating what he calls a landmark achievement. He welcomed Ms. Vos and used the occasion to highlight the success of the company’s low-cost strategy. According to O’Leary, the company’s fares helped the “200 M passengers who flew Ryanair save an average €5 billion, compared to the average air fare of our competitors”.
“We are delighted to welcome Maria Cornelia Vos on board as our 200 millionth passenger. We are proud to offer Europe’s lowest airfares and the most reliable service,” he said.
New landmark unlocked – 200M pax for 24/25!!! 🎉
— Ryanair (@Ryanair) March 26, 2025
Today, we welcomed onboard our 200 millionth passenger for 24/25; 84-year-old Maria Cornelia Vos, who flew from Fuerteventura to Madrid, landing at 12:35. 'Mieke' as she is known, will now enjoy free flights for 1 year!
200M… pic.twitter.com/LiHCjAgpUK
Looking ahead, the Irish airline expects to carry 206 million passengers for its 2025-2026 financial year, a 3% increase, or two million more than previously forecast, but still short of four million passengers initially expected, due to delays in Boeing deliveries. Production setbacks, including a strike late in 2024, has slowed the delivery of new aircrafts.
O’Leary confirmed that Ryanair plans to add more B737 to its fleet but feared that some would not be ready in time for the summer 2025 travel season.
“We are confident of receiving the remaining 29 aircraft on our order by March 2026, which will allow us to make up the backlog in increased traffic in the summer of 2026, rather than 2025,” he added.
Meanwhile recent disruptions at London Heathrow Airport, where a fire at a substation brought operations to a halt for several days, led to a spike in last-minute bookings on Ryanair. According to O’Leary, this resulted in “a couple of hundred thousand euros of additional profit” for the company, as over 10,000 extra bookings were made on flights from and to London from all over Europe.
Ryanair has continuously expanded its route network and fleet, solidifying its position as one of Europe’s most profitable airlines. The company’s low-fare commitment continues to drive high passenger numbers and maintain its competitive edge in the aviation market.
Although it will remain a low cost, prices are expected to rise by 4-6% this year, which would still be 2% lower than two years ago
But that should not worry Mieke, as in addition to the flowers, she also received free flights for one year, according to the airline’s official announcement on the company’s social media accounts.
