Analysts believe Ryanair will hit profit targets despite the decision by a number of online travel agents to stop selling the airline’s flights.
Agents including Booking.com, Kiwi and Kayak stopped selling Ryanair flights in early December but the airline said on Wednesday that it did not expect the move to materially affect full-year profit or passenger numbers.
However, its shares tumbled almost 5 per cent on the news, ending the day at €18.19 in Dublin.
Stephen Furlong, analyst at Dublin stockbroker Davy, said the firm was unlikely to change its forecast that the Irish carrier’s profits would hit €2 billion in its current financial year, which ends on March 31st.
Ryanair has told investors and the stock market that it expects full-year profit to land somewhere between €1.85 billion and €2.05 billion, while it would fly 185 million passengers.
Mr Furlong said that Ryanair indicated that the move would take “some of the shine” off the average fares it predicted when it reported half-year results in November, but added that it should not make a material difference.
“Our own view is that the supply-demand dynamic in the industry remains robust, demand remains very strong and supply is very constrained,” he