Ryanair Holdings RYAAY, a European carrier, reported solid traffic numbers for September 2026, driven by upbeat air-travel demand.
The number of passengers transported on Ryanair flights was 20.1 million in September 2026, reflecting a 4% year-over-year increase. The September load factor (percentage of seats filled by passengers) of 94% remained flat on a year-over-year basis, reflecting consistent passenger demand for the airline's services.
RYAAY operated more than 111,700 flights in September 2026. However, the airline had canceled more than 1,000 flights because of another UK air traffic control (ATC) system collapse, Belgian ATC strikes and Mt. Etna eruptions.
Although September 2026 traffic numbers reflect year-over-year growth, they could not surpass its prior months' figures. Ryanair’s encouraging monthly traffic numbers reflected steady growth from the beginning of the year through August 2026.
Further, we would like to remind investors that concurrent with the August traffic numbers on Sept. 2, 2026,Ryanair unveiled a disappointing traffic outlook for fiscal 2027. Ryanair reduced fiscal 2027 traffic forecast from 216 million to 214 million passengers amid high fuel costs.
RYAAY’s Zacks Rank & Price Performance
RYAAY currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
Shares of RYAAY have plunged 23.7% so far this year compared with the 10.2% loss of the Zacks Airline industry.
RYAAY Stock’s YTD Price Comparison
Stocks to Consider
Investors interested in the Zacks Transportation sector may consider Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. EXPD and Schneider National, Inc. (SNDR).
Expeditors currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
EXPD has an expected earnings growth rate of 28.6% for 2026. The company has an encouraging earnings surprise history. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 17.15%.
Schneider presently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Schneider has an expected earnings growth rate of 65.08% for the current year. Schneider’s earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the trailing four quarters (missed the mark in the remaining two quarters), delivering an average miss of 10.01%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Schneider’s full-year earnings has moved 14.29% north in the past 60 days.
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Ryanair Holdings PLC (RYAAY): Free Stock Analysis Report
Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (EXPD): Free Stock Analysis Report
Schneider National, Inc. (SNDR): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).