Ryanair predicts cheaper flights this summer, but may still pull planes out of Britain if no Brexit deal agreed
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Ryanair predicts cheaper flights this summer, but may still pull planes out of Britain if no Brexit deal agreed

RYANAIR ticket prices are set to fall this summer, while the Irish airline reissued its warning that British flights may have to be halted post-Brexit.

Europe’s biggest budget airline revealed that fares could be cut by as much as nine per cent from last year on some routes in the next few months.

The airline said prices would be coming down as its fuel bill has dropped in the last few months, even though passenger numbers rose 12 per cent to 35million.

Chief executive Michael O'Leary said Ryanair had taken advantage of recent price dips in fuel to charge less for its flights.

"We expect the pricing environment to remain very competitive,” Mr O'Leary said in a statement.

“We took advantage of recent price dips to increase our H1 FY19 hedging to approx. 45% at $48pbl.

“We expect these fuel savings will be passed back to Ryanair customers through lower fares.”

Separately, Ryanair renewed its warning to move its planes out of Britain if no post-Brexit aviation deal is struck by next year.

Almost 90 per cent of Ryanair's fleet is based at British airports, flying to dozens of European destinations under the EU’s endangered “Open Skies” agreement.

Lauding its first quarter profits, the Irish airline warned: “There may not be sufficient time, or goodwill on both sides, to negotiate a timely replacement bilateral.

“If we do not have certainty about the legal basis for the operation of flights between the UK and the EU by autumn 2018, we may be forced to cancel flights and move some, or all, of our UK based aircraft to Continental Europe from April ’19 onwards.”