Ryanair’s board has approved its post-COVID growth plan, leading the airline to upgrade its forecast.

The group now expects to deliver more rapid traffic growth between now and 2026 and has raised its five-year growth forecast from 33% to 50%.

As a result, Ryanair’s pre-COVID traffic of 149 million is expected to grow to over 225 million guests by March 2026, 25 million passengers per year higher than the previous target of 200 million.

The airline is to take delivery of 210 B737 Gamechanger aircraft over the next five years and plans to open new bases across Europe.