Airline had led warnings that leaving EU would cause chaos, but now says sales unaffected

Ryanair has been taking record numbers of flight bookings this week, with no sign of customers avoiding the key Brexit days at the end of March despite warnings that aircraft could be grounded in the event of no deal.

The airline, Europe’s largest by passenger numbers, had led warnings that chaos could ensue after Britain’s departure from the EU. It has amended its booking terms and conditions to cover that eventuality.

Ryanair has now said sales have not been affected, including for flights on the days immediately on and around 29 March 2019, Britain’s expected departure date. The airline claimed a new peak of 5.25m visits to its website and app on Tuesday, with a unspecified record number of ensuing bookings.

The draft deal between Britain and the EU would mean, if ratified, that flights continue as normal during a transition period. A paper published by the European commission last week also said flights could continue between the UK and Europe in the event of no deal, although questions of ownership and control, which could affect individual airlines’ rights to operate, would need to be resolved.

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EU rules state that its airlines must be majority owned and controlled by EU nationals. While Ryanair is 54% EU-owned, just over 20% of its shareholding is UK based and will be classed as foreign after Brexit. The airline said it had reached an agreement with the EU by pledging to restrict the voting rights of its non-EU shareholders.

Kenny Jacobs, its chief marketing officer said flight disruption “absolutely was a possibility until we saw the transition agreement and the no-deal documents”.

He said demand had not been affected, even by the weak pound: “I hope [our warnings] got politicians to act a little faster but I saw no evidence consumers were anxious. It would take a long time for the British consumer to not go on holiday.”

Jacobs said while holidaymakers were more frugal, a weak economy had benefited Ryanair in the past as people hunted for budget fares.

He said the bigger problem for airlines was air traffic control, with strikes and staff shortages disrupting thousands of European flights in a “horrible summer for people flying” – far more, he claimed, than were lost through the strikes industrial action which took place at Ryanair in 2018 for the first time after it recognised unions.

Jacobs said the rising number of EU261 compensation payments to passengers for delays were now putting almost a pound on every fare.

He ruled out a move for Flybe, the British regional carrier which put itself up for sale last week, saying Ryanair was not interested.