Ryanair believes a reduction in oil prices could make a substantial difference to its cost base this year and next, given that the group has locked in lower hedges for its fuel. The low-cost airline is 85% hedged for this year at an average oil price of $76 per barrel, compared with being 78% hedged at $79 in the year ended 31 March. For summer 2026, Ryanair "jumped on" recent weakness in oil prices following the USA's announcement of tariffs, to secure 40% of its requirements at $66 per barrel, which represents a 13% saving versus this year, said group chief executive Michael O’Leary during a 19 May briefing on annual results. With the oil price currently at around $62 per barrel, O'Leary also highlighted the possibility of "meaningful savings" on the roughly 15% of its fuel requirements for which it is unhedged this summer. "We think there's a real possibility of making material oil price savings, not just for us but for the rest of the European industry," says O'Leary. Across fiscal 2025, the company spent €5.2 billion ($5.9 billion) on fuel, up 2% on 2024. Savings on fuel should offset higher ATC charges and wage costs, O'Leary notes. Fuel typically accounts for around a third of an airline's cost, but this can be higher for some, particularly low-cost carriers. Airlines generally hedge to guarantee certainty over their costs, instead of trying to time the market to get the best possible deal. O'Leary added that he expects the US administration to focus on boosting world crude supplies and reducing prices in advance of mid-term elections next year, "and there may be a short term or medium term gain for airlines in general, but Ryanair in particular, as we move forward to the remainder of [fiscal year 2026] as we have weaker [than fiscal year 2025] costs". Across the year end 31 March, Ryanair Group's operating costs rose 9% to €12.4 billion. Profit after tax slipped 16% to €1.6 billion.

Boeing has appointed Seth Fraser as sales director, global leasing, his LinkedIn profile shows. Fraser has been with the US airframer for over 18 years and previously held the role of senior director, customer finance for over nine years. He joined the company in 2006 as a senior financial analyst, later working as a credit analyst, then as account manager, and director of portfolio marketing.

A lawsuit filed on 15 January by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) against Southwest Airlines for operating "chronically delayed flights" has been dismissed, a 16 May court filing shows. The notice of voluntary dismissal was submitted to the US District Court for the Northern District of California by Patrick Robbins, acting United States attorney, and Michael Keough, assistant United States attorney. A DOT investigation had found that Southwest operated two chronically delayed services – one between Chicago Midway and Oakland, and another between Baltimore and Cleveland – which resulted in 180 flight disruptions for passengers between April and August 2022. "We appreciate the DOT's decision to abandon its lawsuit against Southwest, which we believe is the correct result in this case," Southwest says in a statement. "The two flight issues occurred years ago when the industry faced unprecedented challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic and were delayed due to issues outside of Southwest's control in numerous cases. Since the pandemic we have made significant investments in our operation, which in 2024 provided our customers with best-in-class operational reliability." On the same day the DOT launched its lawsuit against Southwest, it announced it had fined Frontier Airlines $650,000 in civil penalties for operating chronically delayed flights from April to August 2022 and from December 2022 to April 2023. Earlier in January 2025, it had imposed a $2 million penalty on JetBlue Airways for operating multiple chronically delayed flights.