The world's most popular international airline is ... Ryanair?

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This was published 10 years ago

The world's most popular international airline is ... Ryanair?

By Oliver Smith
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary. Ryanair carried 80 million international passengers last year.

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary. Ryanair carried 80 million international passengers last year.Credit: AFP

Ryanair carried almost 80 million international passengers last year, nearly 30 million more than any other airline.

The figures – released this week by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – confirm Ryanair's status as "the world's favourite airline", a spokesman for the low-cost carrier claimed.

Lufthansa carried 50.8 million international passengers last year, making it the second busiest airline, while easyJet flew 44.6 million passengers overseas, and British Airways 31.3 million. The busiest carrier in terms of both domestic and international journeys was Delta, based in the US. It flew a total of 116.7 million passengers in 2012. Qantas was also one of the busiest carriers for domestic flights, carrying 35 million passengers to rank it number 10.

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"Even the combined traffic of EasyJet and BA is still less than Ryanair's total, confirming that passengers can't get enough of Ryanair's guaranteed lowest fares, no fuel surcharges and number one customer service," said a spokesman.

The airline has clearly divided fliers. While it is by far the most frequently used – and one of the most profitable – carriers in Europe, it has also come under intense scrutiny for its "extra" fees and the treatment of its staff and customers.

Among those fees is a €70/£70 ($98/$115) per person charge for passengers who lose their boarding pass or forget to print it out. Last year Suzy McLeod, a British woman, received the support of more than 500,000 Facebook users after she was charged €300 to print out five boarding passes at Alicante airport before a flight to Bristol. Had she made the same mistake this year it would have cost her €350. Michael O'Leary, the chief executive of Ryanair, later branded Ms McLeod "an idiot".

Last month singer Brian McFadden vented his fury at O'Leary on Twitter after he faced the £70 charge to print his boarding pass at the airport for a flight from Liverpool to Ireland.

Ryanair is also renowned for charging high fees to check in baggage (up to £35 for a single 15kg bag), while a study by the website Travelsupermarket revealed that the cost of six basics items on Ryanair's in-flight menu (a cup of tea, a sandwich, a tin of Pringles, a Kit Kat, a bottle of water and a glass of wine) often costs more than a ticket to fly.

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In April it was fined nearly £350,000 by Italian authorities for failing to improve the transparency of its website.

It also faced allegations about flight safety last year when two aircraft bound for Madrid were forced to make an emergency landing in Valencia after they drew near to their minimum level of fuel. The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) later ruled that Ryanair's planes were carrying 'sufficient fuel' when they took off.

Last month it was accused of "ruthlessly exploitating" its staff after a former flight attendant contacted her MP to complain about working conditions.

And last year it was voted Europe's worst short-haul airline by the readers of the UK consumer publication Which?

The Telegraph, London

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