Easyjet and Ryanair are two of Europe’s biggest and most well-known budget airlines. Together they carry roughly 50 million passengers per year around the continent.
This is an Easyjet vs Ryanair head-to-head comparison of the airlines in terms of some operational statistics of interest. Note that both airlines have been severely impacted by the travel restrictions since 2020 and this will be refelcted in the most recent stats.
Easyjet – Numbers of Airports, Bases and Routes
In 2021, Easyjet reported it had 28 bases, serving 153 airports and 927 routes.
Its largest base is at London Gatwick (LGW).
Ryanair – Numbers of Airports, Bases and Routes
In 2022, Ryanair reported having 90 bases, serving 230 airports and 2,500 routes.
Its largest bases are at London Stansted (STN) and Dublin (DUB).
Easyjet Flight Sector Statistics
Easyjet reported making 155,664 flight sectors in 2021.
How many flights per day does Easyjet make?
An average of 426 flights per day in 2021.
The average Easyjet flight sector length in 2021 was 1,184km. This means the total distance flown in 2021 by Easyjet aircraft was 184 million km.
Ryanair Flight Sector Statistics
Ryanair reported making 204,828 flight sectors in 2021.
How many flights per day does Ryanair make?
An average of 561 flights per day in 2021.
The average Ryanair flight sector length in 2021 was 1,249km. This means the total distance flown annually by Ryanair aircraft in 2021 was 256 million km.
Easyjet vs Ryanair Flight Sectors 2016-2021
| Year | Easyjet Flight Sectors | Ryanair Flight Sectors |
| 2021 | 155,664 | 204,828 |
| 2020 | 311,477 | 823,897 |
| 2019 | 605,899 | 789,771 |
| 2018 | 559,857 | 725,044 |
| 2017 | 516,902 | 675,482 |
| 2016 | 482,110 | 609,501 |
Easyjet Passenger Statistics
Easyjet flew 20.4 million passengers in 2021 with an average load factor of 72.5%.
How many passengers fly with Easyjet every day?
Easyjet handled an average of 56,000 passengers per day in 2021, although there will be relatively more passengers flying during the peak summer season than in the winter.
Ryanair Passenger Statistics
Ryanair flew 28 million passengers in 2021 with an average load factor of 71%.
How many passengers fly with Ryanair every day?
Ryanair flew an average of 77,000 passengers per day in 2021.
Passenger numbers for both airlines should increase in 2022.
| What is the load factor? This is an airline industry metric which measures the capacity utilisation. It is effectively the percentage calculated by taking the number of carried passengers and dividing by the number of available seats. The load factor can be calculated for a single flight, a particular route, an aircraft type or an entire airline. |
Easyjet vs Ryanair Passenger Statistics 2016-2021
| Year | Easyjet passengers | Easyjet load factor | Ryanair passengers | Ryanair load factor |
| 2021 | 20.4 million | 72.5% | 27.5 million | 71.0% |
| 2020 | 48.1 million | 87.2% | 149.0 million | 95.0% |
| 2019 | 96.1 million | 91.5% | 142.1 million | 96.0% |
| 2018 | 88.5 million | 92.9% | 130.3 million | 95.0% |
| 2017 | 80.2 million | 92.6% | 120.0 million | 94.0% |
| 2016 | 73.1 million | 91.6% | 106.4 million | 93.0% |
Easyjet Aircraft Fleet Statistics
In its 2021 annual report, Easyjet reported a fleet of 308 aircraft as follows:
| Aircraft type | Number |
| Airbus A319 | 97 |
| Airbus A320 | 160 |
| Airbus A320neo | 37 |
| Airbus A321neo | 14 |
| TOTAL | 308 |
The average Easyjet fleet age is around 9 years.
Ryanair Aircraft Fleet Statistics
According to Planespotters.net, the Ryanair group has a fleet of 504 aircraft as follows:
| Aircraft type | Number |
| Boeing 737-700 | 1 |
| Boeing 737-800 | 409 |
| Boeing 737MAX | 65 |
| Airbus A320 | 29 |
| TOTAL | 504 |
The average Ryanair fleet age is around 11 years.
| Note – airline fleets are constantly changing. Aircraft fleet numbers stated in annual reports only give a snapshot at that particular moment. |
Easyjet Website Visitors
The Easyjet.com website had an average of 26.9 million visits in April 2022. It is ranked number 7 in terms of traffic in the airline industry.
Ryanair Website Visitors
The Ryanair.com website had an average of 55.6 million visits in April 2022. It is ranked number 3 in terms of traffic in the airline industry. [source: Similarweb]
Easyjet vs Ryanair Website visitors
| Period | Easyjet.com monthly visits | Ryanair.com monthly visits |
| Apr 2022 | 26.9 million | 55.6 million |
| Mar 2022 | 26.4 million | 55.0 million |
| Feb 2022 | 20.8 million | 45.8 million |
| Jan 2022 | 18.0 million | 38.6 million |
| Q1 2019 | 21.1 million | 47.9 million |
Easyjet vs Ryanair Social Media Followers
Ryanair leads the way with a total of 7.95 million followers on the 4 main platforms (Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/TikTok). Easyjet has a total of 2.79 million followers. As of April 2022.
| Easyjet | Ryanair | |
| 550K | 533K | |
| Facebook | 1.82 million | 4.99 million |
| Instagram | 398K | 830K |
| TikTok | 29K | 1.6 million |
Easyjet Staff Numbers
In 2021, Easyjet had over 13,000 staff members which includes over 4,000 pilots and over 7,000 cabin crew. In 2020 this was reported as over 14,000 staff with 4,000 pilots and 8,000 cabin crew.
The Easyjet CEO is Johan Lundgren.
Ryanair Staff Numbers
In 2021 Ryanair reported it had 15,016 staff members which includes 5,170 pilots and 8,261 cabin crew. Levels were reduced from the 2020 figure of 17,268 staff (which included 5,584 pilots and 9,725 cabin crew).
The Ryanair CEO is Michael O’Leary.
Easyjet vs Ryanair Employees 2016-2021
| Year | Easyjet Employees | Ryanair Employees |
| 2021 | 13,000 | 15,016 |
| 2020 | 14,000 | 17,268 |
| 2019 | 15,000 | 16,840 |
| 2018 | 14,000 | 14,583 |
| 2017 | 12,000 | 13,026 |
| 2016 | 10,000 | 11,458 |
Easyjet Profit/Loss and Revenue
In 2021 Easyjet reported an operating loss of £1,136 million on £1,458 million of revenue.
Easyjet plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: EZJ) and is part of the FTSE 100 index.
Ryanair Profit/Loss and Revenue
In 2021 Ryanair reported an operating loss of €1,109 million on €1,636 million of revenue.
Ryanair Ltd is listed on Euronext Dublin (ISEQ: RYA) plus an additional listing in the US (NASDAQ:RYAAY).
Easyjet vs Ryanair Revenue 2016-2021
| Fiscal Year | Easyjet Revenue (£ millions) | Ryanair Revenue (€ millions) |
| 2021 | 1,458 | 1,636 |
| 2020 | 3,009 | 8,495 |
| 2019 | 6,385 | 7,697 |
| 2018 | 5,898 | 7,151 |
| 2017 | 5,047 | 6,648 |
| 2016 | 4,669 | 6,536 |
| From its 2021 annual report, the average booked Ryanair passenger fare is €37.65. When you add in ancillary revenue per booked passenger of €21.80, this results in a total revenue per booked passenger of €59.45. |
Easyjet vs Ryanair CO2 Emissions
In 2021, Easyjet reported a CO2 emission of 81.08g per passenger km. In 2020 this was 70.77g per passenger km.
Ryanair reported a CO2 emission of 83g per passenger km. In 2020 this was 66g per passenger km.
Easyjet Longest & Shortest Route
Easyjet’s longest route is Manchester (MAN) – Hurghada (HRG) in Egypt which is 2,578 miles and has a scheduled flying time of around 5 hours 20 minutes.
Easyjet’s shortest route is Belfast (BFS) – Isle of Man (IOM) which is just 76 miles. The scheduled flying time is 40 minutes.
Ryanair Longest & Shortest Route
Ryanair longest route is Warsaw Modlin (WMI) – Tenerife South (TFS) which is 2,542 miles and has a scheduled flying time of up to 5 hours 55 minutes.
Ryanair’s shortest flight route is Valencia (VCN) – Ibiza (IBZ) which is 108 miles. The scheduled flying time is 45 minutes.
Easyjet vs Ryanair Route Map Extremities
Both airlines have significant route coverage throughout Europe and also serve a few destinations in North Africa and Israel. Easyjet and Ryanair rarely compete on the same route.
Easyjet
Most Northerly Airport: RVN (Rovaniemi, Finland) 66°33’42″N
Most Southerly: RMF (Marsa Alam, Egypt) 25°33’26″N
Most Easterly: AQJ (Aqaba, Jordan) 35°01’05″E
Most Westerly: KEF (ReykjavÃk, Iceland) 22°36’20″W
Ryanair
Most Northerly: TMP (Skellefte, Sweden) 64°37’29″N
Most Southerly: LPA (Gran Canaria, Spain) 27°55’55″N
Most Easterly: AMM (Amman, Jordan) 35°59’36″E
Most Westerly: TER (Terceira, Azores) 27°05’27″W
Easyjet Seats
Easyjet planes have dark grey-orange seats in a 3-3 configuration. The seat pitch is 29″ and the seat width is 18″. Easyjet seats do not recline but do have a seat pocket. The Airbus A319 has 156 seats; the Airbus A320 has either 180 or 186 seats. The A321neo has 235 seats. All seats are economy class.
Easyjet sells allocated seating which costs between £5.99 and £39.99 per flight depending on the route and whether the seat is classed as extra legroom (first row or overwing exit), up front (rows 2-6) or elsewhere.
Ryanair Seats
Ryanair planes have blue-yellow seats in a 3-3 configuration. The standard seat pitch is 30″ and the seat width is 17″. Premium seats in rows 1-5 have a slightly larger seat pitch of 32″-34″. Ryanair seats do not recline and have no seat pocket. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft has 189 seats.
Ryanair also sells allocated seating which costs between €/£3 and €/£28 depending on route and whether it is a standard seat, a front seat in row 2-5 or an extra legroom seat on the exit rows. Passengers who do not purchase allocated seating will automatically be assigned a ‘random’ seat at check-in.
Easyjet Carry-On Luggage Allowance
Easyjet allows all passengers to bring 1 small carry on bag with maximum size of 45 x 36 x 20cm including handles and wheels. It should fit in under the seat in front.
It is also possible to book a fare with an additional large cabin bag (max dimensions 56 x 45 x 25cm). This option is also included for easyJet Plus cardholders, FLEXI fare, Up Front or Extra Legroom customers.
Ryanair Carry-On Luggage Allowance
Ryanair allows all passengers to bring 1 small bag measuring up to 40 x 20 x 25cm which must be placed under the seat in front. Those purchasing “Priority & 2 Cabin Bags” can take a second bag of up to 10kg with max dimension 55 x 40 x 20cm. This can be stowed in the overhead lockers.
Easyjet Historical Background
Easyjet (U2) was established in 1995 by founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou. It is headquartered at London Luton Airport in the UK.
Easyjet made its inaugural flight from London Luton to Glasgow on 10 November 1995 using a Boeing 737 aircraft. Its first international route was London Luton to Amsterdam which started in 1996.
Ryanair Historical Background
Ryanair (FR) was established in 1985 by the Ryan family. It is headquartered at Dublin Airport in Ireland.
Ryanair’s inaugural flight was Waterford to London Gatwick on 8 July 1985 using a 15-seater Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante turboprop aircraft.
The Ryanair Group in 2022 is made up of Buzz, Lauda Europe, Malta Air, Ryanair and Ryanair UK.
| Safety – Easyjet and Ryanair have both had no events in their history causing a single passenger fatality. |
Easyjet vs Ryanair Summary
The figures show that Ryanair is statistically the bigger airline of the two. Both airlines have taken a significant hit due to the travel restrictions and lockdowns of 2020-21. We should see improved figures moving forward from 2022.
Originally published May 22 2015. Last updated April 26 2022.
DISCLAIMER: Information can change; we try to provide accurate information though we are not liable for any inaccuracies.
SOURCES: Ryanair, Easyjet, Planespotters.net, SeatGuru, Similarweb, AirSafe
