Ryanair has more than doubled its forecast annual loss due to the impact of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
The airline also cut its January traffic forecast by 33 per cent.
The company, Europe's largest by passenger numbers, said in a statement that it expects a net loss of between €250-450 million in the 12 months to the end of March.
That compares to a previous forecast of a loss of between €100-200 million.
Last month, Ryanair Group chief executive Michael O'Leary said the airline's flights were heavily booked throughout December, stating that he saw no reason to cancel flights because of the Omicron variant.
As concerns over the new variant and high levels of transmission throughout Europe have mounted, Mr O'Leary has since called for measures that would only permit fully vaccinated people to fly.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the CEO said governments should “make life difficult” for people who refuse to take the vaccine without good reason, rather than enforcing mandatory vaccine uptake, according to The Irish Times.
"If you’re not vaccinated, you shouldn’t be allowed in the hospital, you shouldn’t be allowed to fly, you shouldn’t be allowed on the London Underground, and you shouldn’t be allowed in the local supermarket or your pharmacy either," he told the newspaper.
