Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary reassures passengers flying out of Liverpool John Lennon Airport on holiday this summer that it is not expecting to run out of jet fuel – but fares could rise in the medium term. Tony McDonough reports
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has eased fears of jet fuel shortages due to the Middle East conflict saying the airline remains “well supplied”.
Operating more than 30 routes out of Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA), Ryanair carries around 2.4m passengers a year in and out of the city region. Many are expected to depart from LJLA for the 2026 summer holidays.
With the war in the Middle East continuing and the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil tankers, remaining closed there have been fears of European airlines running out of jet fuel in the summer.
However, on Monday Mr O’Leary said: “The conflict in the Middle East has created economic uncertainty and we still don’t know when the Strait of Hormuz will reopen.
“Despite this, Europe remains relatively well supplied with jet-fuel, with significant volumes sourced from West Africa, the Americas and Norway.”
Neil Sorahan, Ryanair’s chief financial officer, also said he was “increasingly confident that we will not see any supply shocks this summer”.
And Ryanair is also managing to keep fares low with its ‘hedging’ strategy. Hedging is when airlines agree to pay a fixed rate for their fuel for a set period. Ryanair is paying $67 a barrel on 80% of its fuel until April 2027.
To put that into context the price of jet fuel has risen from around $90 per barrel to as high as $200 per barrel thanks to the war with Iran and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. However, Ryanair is still exposed on 20% of its supply and this is likely to lead to higher fares later in 2026 and into 2027.
On Monday Ryanair revealed full-year revenues for the 12 months to March 31 of £13.5bn – up 11% on last year. Profits are up 40% to almost £2bn. Ryanair reports in euros and LBN has converted to sterling. Passenger numbers rose 4% to 208.4m.
Earlier in May LBN revealed Ryanair is continuing its expansion at LJLA with new routes to Marrakech, Tirana, and Warsaw and expansion on existing services.
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In December 2025 the Irish low-cost carrier said it would introduce a sixth aircraft at Liverpool leading to 180 new direct jobs and supporting an estimated 2,000-plus jobs in the city region.
These new routes and changes all kick in for the winter season at LJLA. starting in October. Existing routes seeing extra flights added include Cork, Sofia, Szczecin, Kraków, Knock and Alicante.