# Ryanair Slashes Winter Flights to Cut Fuel Costs

> Ryanair cuts winter flights to avoid €70m-100m fuel losses as oil spikes.
- Title: Ryanair Slashes Winter Flights to Cut Fuel Costs | Shortify
- Summary: Ryanair cuts winter flights to avoid €70m-100m fuel losses as oil spikes. Ryanair reduced winter flights by 2 million passengers to save €70m-100m from oil…
- Keywords: ryanair, oil prices, fuel hedge, passenger traffic, ryanair holdings, jet fuel, unhedged fuel, passenger growth, fiscal 2034, boeing 737 max-10, business, finance
- Source: Yahoo Finance — https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/ryanair-ryaay-slashes-winter-flight-145505604.html
- Published: 2026-09-17T14:55:05+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ryanair, oil prices, fuel hedge, passenger traffic, ryanair holdings, jet fuel, unhedged fuel, passenger growth, fiscal 2034, boeing 737 max-10, business, finance
## Ryanair cuts winter flights
Ryanair Holdings plc reduced its full-year passenger target from 216 million to 214 million to shrink exposure to unhedged jet fuel during its unprofitable winter schedule.
## Oil prices near $140 per barrel
Jet fuel was trading near $140 a barrel when Ryanair made the decision to slash winter flights, expecting to trim seasonal losses by €70 million to €100 million.
## Ryanair's fuel hedge advantage
Ryanair locked in about 80% of its fuel needs for the year at roughly $67 a barrel, far below the current $140 spot price, giving it a major cost advantage over rivals.
## Strong balance sheet
Ryanair has no debt after repaying its final bond and holds roughly €2.8 billion in cash, allowing it to maintain capacity and invest in its fleet.
## New aircraft order
Ryanair ordered 300 Boeing 737 MAX-10 jets, which offer 20% more seats and 20% lower fuel consumption per aircraft than its current fleet.
## Quarterly profit drop
First-quarter profit after tax fell 34% year over year to €538 million as the cost of unhedged fuel roughly doubled and average fares declined 6%.
## Lower traffic target
Ryanair cut its full-year passenger target by 2 million and expects November-to-March traffic to remain flat compared to the previous year.
## Fuel price risks
Ryanair still carries major exposure to further oil-price increases, leaving earnings and capacity decisions vulnerable to another surge in crude prices.
## Key takeaway

Ryanair reduced winter flights by 2 million passengers to save €70m-100m from oil price spikes, but quarterly profits fell 34% due to unhedged fuel costs.