DUBLIN, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Ryanair on Thursday raised its long-term traffic forecast and expects to fly 225 million passengers a year by 2026, up from 200 million previously as it eyes a strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Europe's largest low cost carrier said the planned delivery of 210 Boeing 737 MAX jets over the next five years will enable it to accelerate post-pandemic growth "as opportunities open up at primary and secondary airports all over Europe, particularly where legacy carriers have failed or reduced fleet sizes".
Ryanair, which last week ended talks over a new order of the larger 737 MAX 10 jets worth tens of billions of dollars because the prices on offer were too high, said in a statement ahead of its annual general meeting on Thursday that the performance of the 197-seat MAX200 model this summer had exceeded expectations.
The airline also said it will open 10 new bases across Europe and take up slot opportunities vacated by competitor airlines.
Ryanair flew 149 million passengers a year before the pandemic and expects to fly between 90 million and 100 million in its financial year to the end of March 2022 as the industry recovers from the disruption of the last 18 months.
Ryanair had planned to reach the 200 million passenger mark by March 2024 but said just before the pandemic struck Europe last year that delays in the delivery of the then-grounded MAX jet would mean it would take until 2025 or 2026.