In Ireland, Ryanair has increased its outlook for annual passenger growth while revealing that air fares are rising more than previously anticipated. The airline reported a significant increase in passenger numbers, flying 47.5 million passengers during the third quarter, which is a 6% rise compared to the previous year. Moreover, Ryanair anticipates a 4% increase in passenger growth for the 2025-26 period, expecting to serve nearly 208 million passengers, a small revision from the original projection of 207 million. This growth is attributed to strong demand and earlier than expected deliveries of new Boeing aircraft. During this time, average fares climbed 4% to 44 euros. Ryanair now expects fares to rise by approximately 8% to 9%, surpassing the 7% increase originally forecasted. Despite posting pre-tax profits that plummeted by 83% to 24.4 million euros due to an imposed fine from Italy's competition regulator, Ryanair remains optimistic. The airline is forecasting full-year profits after tax ranging from 2.13 billion to 2.23 billion euros, a notable increase from the underlying profits of 1.61 billion euros in the previous year. The significant drop in profits to 24.4 million euros was largely due to the financial provision related to a substantial fine of 256 million euros that Ryanair received in December 2023. This fine was levied by the Italian Competition Authority, which accused Ryanair of implementing a policy that obstructed third-party travel agencies from purchasing tickets on its website. According to the regulator, this strategy was designed to make the purchasing process cumbersome and economically disadvantageous for agencies. Ryanair has publicly criticized the ruling, labeling the fine as