Easter holiday + airfare prices rebound Ryanair (RYAAY.US) Q1 net profit doubles.

Europe's largest low-cost airline, Ryanair (RYAAY.US), said on Monday that its net profit for the April to June quarter (first fiscal quarter) more than doubled, thanks to the Easter holiday and better-than-expected "last minute" ticket prices. Data shows that the Irish airline's first quarter net profit was 820 million euros (approximately 953 million US dollars), higher than the 360 million euros in the same period last year, when Easter fell in March. Analysts had previously expected a net profit of 716 million euros. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said in a statement, "Ticket prices in the first quarter benefited significantly from a full Easter holiday in April, soft ticket prices in the same period last year, and slightly higher than expected last minute ticket prices." According to the statement, average ticket prices increased by 21% compared to the same period last year. O'Leary said, "We cautiously expect that the 7% decline in ticket prices last year will be largely reversed, allowing the company to achieve reasonable net profit growth in the fiscal year ending in March 2026." As of the closing of the U.S. stock market on July 18th, Ryanair fell by 3.26% to $56.15. The stock has risen by 30% so far this year.