Ryanair still ‘No 1’ despite flights farce

RYANAIR is allowed to describe itself as ‘Europe’s No 1 airline’ despite widespread flight cancellations last year, the advertising watchdog has ruled.

The Irish carrier’s TV and radio adverts in September and October said ‘discover why we’re Europe’s No 1 airline’, while a poster featured the tagline: ‘Europe’s No 1 Airline.’

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 13 complaints claiming the ads were misleading in light of Ryanair axing tens of thousands of flights last year after mismanaging pilots’ annual leave.

Ryanair said its claim was based on a report which found the airline was Europe’s largest for international and domestic flights combined.

The ASA ruled in favour of Ryanair, saying the claim was an ‘objective statement about the number of passengers who had travelled on Ryanair flights’.