Ryanair considers temporary pay freeze due to rising fuel costs

The airline Ryanair has said its fuel costs will rise by €2 billion in the short term due to the US and Israeli conflict with Iran. To cover the costs, the carrier is studying, among other measures, a temporary freeze on staff salaries and expects airfares in Europe to rise.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 2 November 2026 at 13:282 min read

The key facts

Ryanair forecasts fuel costs to rise by €2 billion (£1.6 billion) in the short term
The company is considering a temporary pay freeze and expects ticket prices in Europe to rise
Fuel, according to Ryanair's forecast, will remain expensive 'until 2027' if the conflict does not end

Pay freeze as one of the measures

The Irish airline Ryanair is considering a temporary freeze on staff salaries to offset a sharp rise in fuel costs following the war of the US and Israel against Iran. This was reported by BBC News on 2 November 2026. According to the outlet, the company links the rise in fuel prices specifically to this conflict and believes that high prices may persist for a long time.

Scale of costs and impact on ticket prices

Ryanair forecasts that its fuel bills will rise by €2 billion (£1.6 billion) in the short term. The company expects airfares in Europe to increase in order to partially cover these costs, but in its assessment this is unlikely to be enough. Among the other measures the carrier is studying are 'temporary pay freezes'.

Timeline forecast and the union's position

The airline said it expects high fuel prices to persist 'until 2027' unless there is a 'quick resolution' to the conflict. The BBC notes that it contacted Unite, the union representing Ryanair staff, for comment, but its position was not available at the time of publication. No decisions have been made yet: the company is only considering a pay freeze among possible measures.