At a press conference on Monday, he said bluntly that there was no shortage of pilots. Ryanair had 4,200 of them, equivalent to more than five flight crew for each of its aircraft. About 5 per cent of them, more than 200, leave every year.

In 2026, Ryanair continues to face the challenges of a global pilot supply gap, but they have largely mitigated a "crisis" through their massive investment in cadet programs and pilot training centers. While industry experts estimate a shortfall of roughly 24,000 pilots worldwide in 2026, Ryanair’s strategy of hiring hundreds of "ab initio" (from scratch) pilots through partnerships like Skyborne and CAE has kept their flight decks staffed better than many competitors. The airline's rapid expansion—with orders for hundreds of new Boeing 737-10 aircraft—requires a constant influx of roughly 1,000 new pilots annually. While they do not have a shortage that is currently grounding a significant number of flights, they remain in a high-intensity "hiring mode," offering competitive "fast-track" upgrades to Captain to lure experienced crew from regional airlines. For travelers, this means operations are stable, but for the airline, the rising "cost of labor" and the competition for senior pilots remain a significant long-term pressure on their low-cost business model.