Ryanair

About Ryanair

Ryanair was founded in Ireland in 1985, initially flying a 15-seat Bandeirante between Waterford and London Gatwick. Near-bankruptcy in the early 1990s prompted a reinvention along Southwest Airlines lines under Michael O'Leary, and the airline grew into Europe's largest carrier by passenger numbers, a position it has held for years.

Ryanair operates an all-Boeing fleet of 737-800s and 737 MAX 8-200s, a high-density 197-seat variant it calls the Gamechanger, from dozens of bases led by Dublin and London Stansted. Its preference for secondary airports puts unusual fields on the network map, and 25-minute turnarounds keep the operation brisk to simulate.