Ryanair boss warns flights could hit £422 one-way due to airport’s new rules

BOSS of budget airline Ryanair Michael O'Leary has warned that flight tickets could go as high as £422 because of a tricky airport restriction.

Dublin airport, Ryanair's main base, has hit a snag with a local council meaning demand for flights could skyrocket.

The airport has an annual cap on passenger numbers which sits at 32 million.

Applications to extend the number to 40 million were denied by Fingal council, who asked for more information.

Last year the airport very nearly hit the 32 million with 31,908,471 travellers.

Meaning that come winter this year competition for seats on Ryanair jets leaving Dublin is likely to rise.

O'Leary has warned that it could take four years for the passenger cab to be extended.

He thinks the measure is unnecessary as the airport has a capacity for 60 million annual passengers thanks to its fairly recent £250 million second runway.

Speaking at the Oireachtas Transport Committee, O'Leary said Ryanair are set to "make out like bandits" this winter.

One-way tickets could go for as much as £422 and return trips as much as £840.

He's also set to make a mean payday if the prices do rise over the festive season.

The airline tycoon said: "I will make a fortune this Christmas."

Flight experts have warned that Ryanair ticket costs could soar before Christmas as Brits jet off on their summer holidays.

A group of aviation industry leaders revealed that worldwide inflation and jet fuel costs play into the price hike.

The global push for decarbonisation has led to airlines competing for the little amount of sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, available on the market.

Willie Walsh, the director-general of the International Air Transport Association, an industry trade group said: "The airlines will continue to do everything they can to keep costs in control as much as possible for the benefit of consumers.

"But I think it’s unrealistic to expect that airlines can continue to absorb all of the costs. ... It's not something we like to do, but it's something we have to do."

The hangover from the pandemic is another factor for the expected steep increase in ticket prices, experts claimed.

Airlines have continued to operate older planes, which burn more fuel, for longer periods.

In addition, there aren't enough new aircraft to expand routes and keep up with supply to bring the overall prices down.