The festive travel period saw Ryanair push up monthly passenger numbers by 8%.
Europe’s largest airline carried 13.6 million passengers in December as more than 77,380 flights were operated.
The year-on-year rise enabled the carrier to end 2024 having flown 197.2 million passengers, up 8% from 181.8 million the previous year.
Ryanair’s load factor for December was up one percentage point to 92% while the overall annual load factor was pegged at the previous year’s level of 94%.
Meanwhile, rival budget carrier Wizz Air saw December passenger levels increase by 1.9% to surpass five million.
However, with seat capacity down by 3.1% year-on-year, the monthly load factor rose by 4.3 percentage points to 86.5%.
The eastern and central European airline’s annual carryings were up by 3.9% to 62.6 million.
Wizz Air said: “The positive yield environment and booking profile seen in November continued into December.
“Early indications for our Q4 period, ending March 2025, remain positive, with bookings currently running ahead by over two percentage points verses this time last year.”
Wizz Air and Pratt & Whitney announced on December 31 that they had agreed compensation terms related to those aircraft grounded due to issues with the manufacturer’s GTF engine.
“Broader negotiations on engine selection remain ongoing as Wizz continues to seek the most cost-efficient engine decision for its future,” the airline added today.