Ryanair is slashing October capacity by 40% over the same month last year due changing European travel restrictions.
The no-frills carrier is cutting 20% more seats from an already announced 20% reduction announced in August.
Ryanair now expects its October capacity to fall from 50% to about 40% of its Oct 2019 levels, but expects to maintain a load factor of 70%-plus with the reduced schedule.
The airline described the capacity reductions as “necessary due to damage caused to forward bookings by continuous changes in EU government travel restrictions and policies, many of which are introduced at short notice, which undermine consumers’ willingness to make forward bookings”.
A spokesperson said: “We are disappointed to reduce our October capacity from 50% of 2019 to 40%.
“However, as customer confidence is damaged by government mismanagement of Covid travel policies, many Ryanair customers are unable to travel for business or urgent family reasons without being subjected to defective 14 day quarantines.
“While it is too early yet to make final decisions on our winter schedule from November to March, if current trends and EU governments’ mismanagement of the return of air travel and normal economic activity continue, then similar capacity cuts may be required across the winter period.”