Ryanair flight disruptions top 800, resulting from turmoil in the Middle East.
The ongoing hostilities between Israel and Iran, as well as continued attacks in Gaza, have caused significant disruptions to flight operations for two major European budget airlines, Ryanair and Wizz Air. In June 2025, Ryanair cancelled over 800 flights due to escalating tensions and security concerns in the region. These cancellations affected flights to destinations such as Tel Aviv and Dubai, but the airline still managed to operate over 109,000 flights in total, with fewer than 1% of flights affected overall.
Ryanair carried a total of 19.9 million passengers in June, marking a 3% increase year-on-year, and has carried over 202 million passengers in the past 12 months, up 7% from the previous year. The airline's load factor (how many seats it fills on each flight) remained steady at 95% in June.
Wizz Air, Ryanair's rival London-listed airline, also experienced some disruption but managed to increase its traffic. In June 2025, it carried 5.88 million passengers, marking a 10.8% increase year-on-year, and raised its seat capacity by 10.4%. Wizz Air's load factor slightly improved to 92.1%. Over the last 12 months, Wizz Air has transported around 65 million passengers, a 4.7% increase year-on-year.
Despite these disruptions, both airlines have shown resilience and adaptability, navigating the turbulent conditions with route adjustments and operational flexibility. However, with no clear resolution in sight, these airlines may face ongoing challenges in maintaining stable schedules for routes linked to the Middle East.
Sources: [1] Ryanair.com [2] Wizz Air.com [3] BBC News [4] The Guardian
The turbulent Middle Eastern region, marked by ongoing hostilities between Israel and Iran, has caused a ripple effect in the aviation industry. Despite cancellations in certain flights due to increased tensions in connected regions, financial giants Ryanair and Wizz Air have demonstrated resilience and adaptability, showing progress in other aspects of their operations, like increasing seat capacity and passenger traffic in the finance sector.
