Airline profile · Europe

Ryanair

IrelandLow-cost carrierSince 1984

FRIATA code

RYRICAO code

Ryanair (IATA FR, ICAO RYR) is an Irish low-cost carrier and the main airline of Ryanair Holdings, based in Swords near Dublin. It carried 208.4 million passengers in the year to March 2026, flying to 235 airports in 37 countries from 95 bases with an all-Boeing 737 mainline fleet. It belongs to no alliance.

Founded: 1984
First flight: 1985
Headquarters: Swords, County Dublin, Ireland
Country: Ireland
Main hubs: Dublin Airport (DUB) · London Stansted (STN)
Airline type: Low-cost carrier
Alliance: None
Parent: Ryanair Holdings plc
Ownership: Ryanair Holdings plc is a public company with shares traded in Dublin and on Nasdaq. Its articles let the board restrict voting rights of shares held by non-EU nationals if that is needed to protect the group's operating licences.
Callsign: RYANAIR
Website: ryanair.com

How travel agents book Ryanair

GDS distribution

Ryanair returned to GDS distribution with Travelport in March 2014 and Amadeus later in 2014, then added Sabre from June 2015; the lowest promotional fares stayed on ryanair.com. The Amadeus deal ended in December 2017, and a new Amadeus agreement announced in November 2022 went live in May 2023. In 2026 travel management companies booking through any GDS had to accept Ryanair's Offline Subscriber Booking Terms (deadline 31 March 2026 for Sabre and Travelport users, May 2026 for Amadeus).

NDC

No public NDC programme details verified at time of writing.

Direct channels

Most sales go through ryanair.com and the Ryanair app. Offline travel agencies can book through Ryanair's Travel Agent Direct platform, launched in July 2025. Online agencies must join Ryanair's approved OTA scheme, which by 2025 included Booking Holdings (Booking.com, KAYAK, Priceline, Agoda), Expedia, lastminute.com, loveholidays, eTraveli, Kiwi, TUI, On the Beach, Trip.com and others, plus aggregators such as Travelfusion, Paxport and DerbySoft. Kyte became Ryanair's first non-GDS corporate distribution partner in March 2024.

Notes for travel agents

Approved partners must show full price transparency, and their customers can manage bookings in myRyanair without Ryanair's separate customer verification. Under the 2026 GDS terms, TMCs need express passenger consent and must make post-booking changes through Travel Agent Direct rather than the GDS. Trade press reported that the charge for Ryanair bookings on Amadeus would fall from 1 August 2026, but the amount was not published in the sources we opened.

On ReservationHub

ReservationHub gives agencies GDS content from Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport plus NDC and low-cost channels in one platform. See the full list on our integrations page.

History of Ryanair

Ryanair was set up in 1984 by the family of Irish aircraft-leasing entrepreneur Tony Ryan. Its first route, launched in July 1985, linked Waterford with London Gatwick using a 15-seat Embraer Bandeirante, and a Dublin to Luton service followed in 1986.

After heavy early losses the airline was restructured around 1990 as a low-cost carrier modelled on Southwest Airlines. Michael O'Leary became chief executive in 1994, the year Ryanair took its first Boeing 737, and the airline opened continental bases at Brussels-Charleroi in 2001 and Frankfurt-Hahn in 2002. It bought Buzz from KLM in 2003.

For about a decade Ryanair sold almost only through its own website, but in 2014 it returned to the GDS channel to win business travellers. Later growth added group airlines in Poland (now Buzz) and Malta (Malta Air) in 2018 and 2019. By its 2026 financial year the group carried more than 208 million passengers, and Ryanair says over 80% of tickets are sold through its own website and app.

Milestones

1984Ryanair set up by the Ryan family.
1985First route, Waterford to London Gatwick, opened in July.
1994First Boeing 737 delivered; Michael O'Leary became chief executive.
2014Returned to the GDS channel through Travelport, then Amadeus.
2015Fares became bookable through Sabre from June.
2017Amadeus partnership ended in December.
2023Fares returned to Amadeus in May under a new agreement.
2025Travel Agent Direct launched and Booking Holdings joined the approved OTA scheme.

Fleet

Boeing 737-800 Boeing 737-8200 (737 MAX 8-200) Airbus A320

Aircraft types in service as of 2026

The group fleet stood at 647 aircraft at 31 March 2026. Ryanair's fleet page, dated October 2026, lists 411 Boeing 737-800s, 210 Boeing 737-8200 "Gamechangers" and 26 Airbus A320s. A further 300 Boeing 737 MAX 10s are on order for delivery by 2034.

Network and hubs

Ryanair flies short-haul, point-to-point routes across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. In its 2026 annual report it listed 235 airports in 37 countries, 95 base airports and more than 3,600 daily flights.

Dublin and London Stansted are long-standing bases, and the group adds and closes bases each season in response to airport charges and taxes. Group airlines include Ryanair, Ryanair UK, Buzz, Malta Air and Lauda Europe, all selling flights under the FR code.

Ryanair: frequently asked questions

What are Ryanair's airline codes?

Ryanair's IATA code is FR and its ICAO code is RYR, with the radio callsign RYANAIR. Other group airlines have their own ICAO codes, for example Ryanair UK (RUK), but flights across the group are sold under the FR code.

Can travel agents book Ryanair through a GDS?

Yes, on Ryanair's terms. Ryanair content has been available through Travelport and Sabre and, since May 2023, again through Amadeus. In 2026 Ryanair required travel management companies booking through a GDS to accept its Offline Subscriber Booking Terms, which route post-booking changes to Travel Agent Direct.

What is Ryanair Travel Agent Direct?

Travel Agent Direct is Ryanair's own booking platform for offline travel agencies, launched in July 2025. Agencies book Ryanair flights directly, must show full price transparency, and their customers receive flight updates straight from Ryanair without completing separate customer verification.

Which online travel agencies can sell Ryanair flights?

Ryanair lets online agencies sell its flights through an approved OTA scheme. Partners named in 2025 included Booking.com, KAYAK, Priceline and Agoda through Booking Holdings, plus Expedia, lastminute.com, loveholidays, eTraveli, Kiwi, TUI, On the Beach and Trip.com, and aggregators such as Travelfusion, Paxport and DerbySoft.

Is Ryanair in an airline alliance?

No. Ryanair does not belong to Star Alliance, oneworld or SkyTeam. It runs a point-to-point low-cost model, selling mainly through ryanair.com and its app, so agents should not expect alliance benefits such as lounge access or status recognition on Ryanair flights.

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Sources

Profile updated 4 November 2026 by the ReservationHub team. Airline details change: confirm schedules, fares and policies with the airline before booking. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.