Ryanair Considers Canceling Morocco Flights Amid Pandemic Disruptions

While it had planned a rebound in its profits in 2021, a few weeks ago, the company must finally be disappointed.

In a statement to investors, Michael O’Leary, the company’s CEO, announced his intention to postpone the restart of its activities from June to July, arguing that he planned to operate at 50% of its capacity over the three months from July to September, its busiest period normally. Another decision considered by the company is the revision of its growth forecasts and aircraft orders. Ryanair also wants to negotiate with Boeing to reduce the number of its deliveries over the next 24 months.

For the company’s director, Ryanair expects the resumption of passenger demand and a return to a pricing policy (at the 2019 level) in at least two years, until the summer of 2022 at the earliest. With this in mind, some of its bases, including those opened in Morocco, will have to close with the elimination of nearly 3,000 jobs, mainly concerning its pilots and cabin crew.

Bogged down in this crisis, the company expects a loss of 100 million euros in the three months starting in June. According to the top executive, this will be the first loss suffered by the company over this period.

Furthermore, the CEO of Ryanair wants to challenge the granting of billions of euros in state aid to competing airlines in European courts. At this rate, Ryanair will have to compete with national airlines that have received 30 billion euros in public aid [...] in the months following this covid-19 crisis.