Ryanair has reported a loss of €96m for the final three months of 2021 but said it was hopeful that rivals' cuts to capacity may help push prices up in the key summer season.
The result was in line with a consensus estimate of a €101m loss in a company poll of analysts. The airline lost €306m in the same quarter of 2020 and made a profit of €88m in the last three months of 2019.
Ryanair, Europe's largest by passenger numbers, reiterated its forecast loss for its full financial year, which ends on March 31, at between €250m and €450m.
Group chief executive Michael O'Leary said that while there had been a "very strong bounce back" in bookings in recent weeks as concerns about the Omicron variant began to fade, the outlook remained hugely uncertain. "While recent bookings have improved, following easing of travel restrictions, the booking curve remains very late and close-in, so Q4 traffic requires significant price stimulation at lower prices," Michael O'Leary said.