The proposals see the group’s five year traffic growth forecasts jump from 150m to 225m passengers per year

Ryanair holdings’ board of directors have approved an update to the airline group’s post-COVID recovery plans for the next five years.

Subject to no adverse COVID developments and vaccinations remaining at around 90%+ across Europe, according to the airline group, it will take delivery of 210 Boeing 737-8200 ‘Gamechanger’ aircraft, fuelling this increase in projected growth for the group’s four airlines: Ryanair, Buzz, Lauda and Malta air.

Additionally, Ryanair will open ten new bases across the continent this year as it looks to take up slot opportunities that are being left vacant by rival airlines who have been forced to reduce their fleets or collapsed under the strain of the pandemic.

The ultra-low-cost carrier has also already committed to creating over 5,000 new jobs, including up to 2,000 new pilot roles, in order to safely operate its new Boeing jets.

Michael O’Leary, Ryanair CEO, said: “The performance of the B737 Gamechanger aircraft this summer has exceeded our expectations. Operational reliability, fuel consumption, and lower CO2 emissions have so far exceeded guidelines with very positive passenger and crew feedback. The Covid-19 pandemic has delivered an unprecedented blow to Europe’s aviation and tourism industries [but,] together with our airport partners, we can recover strongly from the Covid pandemic and deliver higher than expected growth in both traffic and jobs over the next 5 years.”

Ryanair also recently opened a €50m Aviation Training Centre in Dublin, with 2 further training centres planned for Spain and Poland over the next 5 years.