Ryanair is Europe's largest airline by several measures, be it fleet size, destinations served, or bases operated. However, Ryanair alludes to the larger Ryanair Group, which despite having shared booking and airport operations, consists of five different airlines. Let's take a look at the Ryanair Group in detail today and how it works.

Which airlines form the group?

The Ryanair Group comprises the eponymous Ryanair, Ryanair UK, Buzz, Lauda Europe, and Malta Air. Once a more streamlined operation, the airline and CEO Michael O'Leary opted for the group structure in 2019, rolling five different AOCs (air operators certificates) into one Ryanair Group. Officially, the entire group and all airlines are owned by Ryanair Holdings, an Irish company.

2019 also saw several changes for the new group. With Brexit looming, Ryanair UK officially applied for a British AOC, allowing it to operate even if the UK left without a deal with the EU (which it eventually did not). Ryanair also created Buzz, a new subsidiary from what was once known as Ryanair Sun, and Malta Air, a partnership with the Maltese government.

A Buzz Boeing 737 MAX flying in the sky.

In 2020, Ryanair rebranded Lauda (acquired in 2018 as LaudaMotion) as Lauda Europe and re-registered it under a Maltese AOC. The carrier is the only one operating Airbus A320s, with 28 A320-200s currently in the fleet, set to stay until 2028.

All of these changes have created the Ryanair we know today, with five airlines and Europe's largest aviation operation.

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Unified operations (but with their own liveries)

Unlike other airline group, such as IAG or the Lufthansa Group, Ryanair's subsidiaries are tightly wrapped around its brand. There's no way to book a ticket on Buzz or Malta Air; all ticketing is done on Ryanair's websites with just a small note stating that your flight will be operated by one of the four subsidiaries instead of the parent carrier.

A Screenshot from Ryanair's website featuring flights from Ryanair and Buzz.
Photo: Ryanair

This is quite different from British Airways, Iberia, and Vueling, for example, all of which have their own websites, loyalty programs, and airport operations despite being under IAG.

However, that doesn't mean you can't tell these aircraft apart. While Ryanair and Ryanair UK share the same blue-and-gold colors, Buzz, Malta Air, and Lauda have their own liveries, despite operating for the same carriers. While Lauda was acquired from the legendary F1 Champion Niki Lauda, all others have been created by Ryanair in the last two decades.

A Malta Air Boeing 737 MAX taxiing to the gate.
Photo: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock

Why have separate brands?

It does seem a bit confusing for Ryanair to have several brands when they all sell an identical product: low-cost, all-economy flights in Europe (and North Africa recently). Initially set up to take advantage of tax benefits in Malta or less strict employment laws in other EU countries, Ryanair is likely to have also created subsidiaries to target local populations, as noted by The Economist in 2019. However, four years on, no one doubts that Buzz and Malta Air are just Ryanair's wet lease operators, but given the Ryanair Group's success, this may not matter too much.

What do you think about the Ryanair Group and its four brands? Let us know in the comments.

Source: The Economist

  • Ryanair Boeing 737
    Ryanair
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    FR/RYR
    Airline Type:
    Low-Cost Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Dublin Airport, London Stansted Airport, Milan Bergamo Airport
    Year Founded:
    1985
    Airline Group:
    Ryanair Group
    CEO:
    Eddie Wilson
    Country:
    Ireland