EasyJet and Wizz Air are no competition for Ryanair

The CEO of Ryanair (Michael O’Leary) is not impressed by EasyJet and Wizz Air. He indicated in an interview with the Financial Times that they are not competition for Ryanair. According to O’Leary, Wizz Air is not able to compete and EasyJet is a thing of the past.

Wizz Air

When asked in the interview about the increasing competition from Wizz Air, O’Leary initially pretends not to know Wizz Air. He then states that Wizz Air is no threat to Ryanair. Wizz Air’s volumes are not comparable to those of Ryanair. Wizz Air carried around 25 million passengers before COVID. Ryanair carried over 150 million. Over the next 5 years Ryanair will add 210 new aircraft to its fleet. The competitors of Ryanair are Iberia, ITA / Alitalia and Lufthansa.

EasyJet

O’Leary is even less enthusiastic about EasyJet. According to him, EasyJet is a thing of the past. There is no more growth in the company and the orders for new planes are cancelled. EasyJet’s business model is in trouble according to O’Leary. According to O’Leary, EasyJet and Wizz Air would be better off merging to still have a chance in the aviation business. Wizz Air previously made a takeover bid for EasyJet, but this was rejected.

ITA

ITA is the successor of Alitalia. According to O’Leary, ITA will experience the same problems as Alitalia. According to O’Leary, the company will be in the red. Ryanair is still busy with a lawsuit to force ITA to pay back a part of the 900 million euro state aid for Alitalia.

Photo: Ryanair Bergamo Airport