Ryanair Cancels Flights on Christmas Day, Faces Antitrust Fine

Europe's largest low-cost airline, Ryanair, halts all flights for Christmas Day, resulting in over 3,000 flights being removed from schedules, which accounts for over 10% of the continent's air traffic.

Italian Antitrust Authority Fines Ryanair

The Irish company recently received an unwelcome gift from Italy. The Italian Antitrust Authority has imposed a maximum fine of 256 million euros on the company, which is one of the highest fines ever imposed in the sector. The complaint concerns an alleged abuse of a dominant position, with the company accused of limiting the operations of online travel agencies in the sale of tickets.

Cultural, Religious, and Economic Factors Behind Flight Suspension

The decision to completely shut down the fleet is not due to strikes, bad weather, or technical problems, but stems from a combination of cultural, religious, and economic reasons. Based near Dublin, Ryanair operates in a deeply Catholic country. Christmas is a sacred holiday, and all personnel – pilots, flight attendants, ground staff, and offices – stay home to celebrate with their families. This policy is adopted every year, making December 25 a day without flights throughout the company's European network. As a result, no travel site or the official Ryanair portal allows the purchase of tickets for that day, regardless of destination.

Economic Considerations

In addition to cultural reasons, the company also considers the economic factors. The demand for flights around Christmas is generally too low to make fleet management profitable, so Ryanair prefers to concentrate flights after the holidays, when demand grows, especially on the most popular routes.

Ryanair's Flight Schedule Around Christmas

December 24 Schedule

On December 24, Ryanair scheduled approximately 1,720 flights, the last of which departs at 6:30 PM from Kerry to Dublin.

December 26 Schedule

Traffic resumes regularly on December 26, with more than 2,600 departures, starting in the early hours of the morning.

Financial Impact of Flight Cancellations

Despite the absence of flights resulting in the loss of over 500,000 passengers and approximately 40 million euros, experts explain that the economic impact is mitigated by lower operating costs and higher revenues on ordinary days.

Here's a breakdown of Ryanair's financial impact due to flight cancellations:

Other Airlines' Strategies

Other low-cost and traditional companies, such as British Jet2.com and Aer Lingus (also Irish), adopt similar strategies. In contrast, WizzAir and EasyJet operate normally, albeit with a reduced offer. Some Israeli airlines also observe weekly stop periods for religious reasons, such as Shabbat.

Airline Holiday Policies

Several airlines adjust their operations during holidays for various reasons. Here's a comparison of different airlines' approaches:

Religious Observances in Air Travel

Certain airlines also observe religious periods with operational adjustments:

Ryanair's Daily Flight Statistics

This table displays the number of flights scheduled for Ryanair on December 24 and December 26, highlighting the complete halt in operations on Christmas Day.

Ryanair's European Network

The policy of suspending flights on Christmas Day extends throughout Ryanair's European network.