Ryanair passenger numbers soar as Covid vaccine restores travel confidence

Airline carried 5.3m passengers on 38,000 flights in June compared with only 400,000 a year earlier

• Coronavirus - latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

Ryanair's passenger numbers surged in June, with the easing of travel restrictions and successful rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination programme prompting a flood of holidaymakers to seek out summer sunshine in Italy, Spain and Portugal.

The no-frills airline, which in June reported the biggest annual loss in its 35-year history, carried 5.3 million passengers on 38,000 flights last month. In June 2020, Ryanair carried only 400,000 passengers.